Elfen Bale continued the golden run of Melbourne trainer Andrea Dailly with her last-stride victory over kennelmate Dyna Nico in Saturday night’s Group 3 Evans & Son Jewellers Ladies Bracelet final at Wentworth Park.
Dailly, who had supplied first and third placegetters with Fernando Bale and Dyna Nico in last month’s Golden Easter Egg final, completed a Bracelet trifecta with Spring Leaf rattling home to finish third.
The win was made all the more remarkable given the Elfen Bale was not even being targeted at the ladies Bracelet.
“We only nominated Elfen Bale for the Bracelet because we were committed to taking Dyna Nico and Spring Leaf to Sydney,’’ Andrea Dailly’s husband Tom said.
“Elfen Bale was running around 30 seconds flat at The Meadows which is handy though not sensational but because she had good early pace and we were coming north we decided to throw her in.
“But after the draw came out she had a hard race when finishing third at Sandown and because that was only 48 hours before the heats we almost scratched her.
“Then she picked up surprisingly well a day after the Sandown race so we took her with us.’’
Tom’s twin brother George said after Saturday night’s race: “Elfen Bale has certainly improved over the past couple of weeks and surprised me by coming from behind to run down Dyna Nico’’
Elfen Bale’s win was the third Bracelet final victory in five years for Young (NSW) breeder-owner Paul Wheeler, who won the race in 2011 with Tonneli Bale and a year later with Desalle Bale.
Meanwhile, next Saturday night’s heats of the Unibet Richmond Oaks are next on the agenda for female greyhounds with Miss Sueko’s win at Wentworth Park on Saturday likely to earn her a tilt at the $30,000 to the winner event.
Miss Sueko led all the way to notch her ninth win in 36 starts on Saturday, posting 29.94, which compared well with her personal best Wentworth Park figures of 29.67.
Although relieved to see Miss Sueko return to the winning list, trainer Justin King was not totally satisfied.
“I was happy with her overall time and her run home figures of 11.90 but I’m mystified by her disappointing early splits," King said.
“She led tonight but only clocked 5.48 while she is capable of running 5.35.
“But Miss Sueko likes Richmond, she was virtually broken in there.’’
Senorita Pearl, who scored a giant killing win at $26 in Saturday night’s Free For All, will not be heading to Richmond for the Oaks.
“Now I’ve got her going well and racing with so much confidence at Wentworth Park I’ll keep hacking her around here,’’ trainer Ron Bell said on Saturday.
Navada Sunrise was a great crowd favourite through her 14 Wentworth Park wins and the best of her offspring Ryley Sams opened his account in town with a slick 29.90 all-the-way win on Saturday night.
Raced by Navada Sunrise’s owner Gary Oldfield, Ryley Sams jumped in front and despite racing wide throughout was never in danger of defeat.
“Navada Sunrise won 13 Wentworth Park 520m races and one over the 720m trip,’’ Oldfield recalled on Saturday.
“Her progeny have not been anywhere near as good as her but Ryley Sams is very promising.’’
There were a couple of hard luck stories among the beaten division in Ryley Sams’ race, notably for runner-up Bertacious Bee and for Miss Huxtable, who dead-heated for third.
Bertacious Bee was last at the pen and skittled soon after while Miss Huxtable was in third spot on the back straight when she collided with the hindquarters of the faltering Dark Magnum.
See you next week!
