“He’s jumping out of his skin”.
That is trainer Christine Proctor’s verdict on NSW hopeful Bessy Boo ahead of this Saturday's Group 1 AGRA National Sprint Championship (530m) in WA.
Fortune has already favoured this year’s Peter Mosman Classic winner (pictured, far left of track), who received a Wild card into the race after missing out on direct entry.
Proctor, who travelled west last Friday with Bessy Boo on the off chance of gaining a place in the $75,000-to-the winner final at Cannington, said pre-race preparation couldn’t have been better.
“I couldn’t be happier with how the dog is in himself,” she said.
“He’s had a free gallop over the straight and a run in the paddock. I’ll wrap him in cotton wool until race time now though.
“He is jumping out of his skin. I cannot hold him.”
Bessy Boo, who has drawn box seven for the final, earned his spot in the $75,000-to-the-winner in unusual fashion.
He missed out on automatic qualification after finishing third in the NSW final almost two weeks ago, but received an invite when Zelemar Fever">Fever won the WA final last Saturday night at Cannington.
“I rode Zelemar Fever home like I owned him myself,” Proctor, who trains Bessy Boo alongside husband Alan, said with a smile. “I was over the moon when he won.”
Bessy Boo is a $21 shot for the final with TAB Fixed Odds, with fellow NSW representative Chica Destacada rated a $4 chance.
Tony Brett’s flying Flash Reality leads the way as a $2.80 chance.
Londonderry-based Proctor conceded Saturday night's final would be tough, but said Bessy Boo couldn’t be ruled out.
“He has drawn a bad box,” she said.
“He needs to find the fence somewhere on the back straight or coming round the turn out of the back straight. If he is third or fourth at that stage then he has a chance.
“If they are running fast up front then he cannot win. He can’t hunt the really fast dogs down.”
Bessy Boo should at least feel at home in WA, having recorded a solid 30.52 performance trial over 530m at Cannington last Saturday night.
His Peter Mosman Classic victory back in June was the Proctors’ first group win in more than 40 years of training.
“I think I’ll probably be pretty excited and nervous on Saturday night, but I’m just really happy to be here,” Proctor said. “I’ve never been to a Nationals before, so it’s big deal to be here.
“It’s all up to him now.”
The Sprint final jumps at 11.37 (AEST).
Nationals Sprint Box Draw (TAB Fixed Odds price in brackets): 1. Dominator Girl ($26); 2. Chica Destacada ($4); 3. Flash Reality ($2.80); 4. Zelemar Fever ($6.50); 5. Crackerjack Dak ($6.50); 6. Star Recall ($4); 7. Bessy Boo ($7); 8. Wild Soul ($21); Reserves: 9. Jump the Queue ($26); 10. Luba Monelli ($26).
