TAB Million Dollar semi-finalists nearing completion
It’s the final week of regional qualification for the TAB Million Dollar Chase, with the final 20 semi-finals from the regions to be decided by Sunday.
Already 36 have qualified for the semi-finals at Wentworth Park on October 11, and this week we will have four more coming from each of Maitland, Lismore, Wagga Wagga, The Gardens and finally Goulburn.
The Goulburn series kicks off with two heats on Wednesday, and the interesting runner is the Andrew Crouch-trained Incredible Hero, a litter brother to their smart bitch Sorry Scott, who will also contest the heats at Goulburn.
Incredible Hero only arrived at the Crouch kennel a week ago from Western Australia where he has done all his racing. He has had 40 starts there for 12 wins and 14 placings, and in more recent times has been racing over longer trips.
“We have only had him about a week,” Andrew’s son Adam said. “We have been in contact with the owner for quite a while - obviously he’s Sorry Scott’s brother - and the owner rang a week or two ago and I asked if they could send him over for us to train.
“He’s got plenty of pace so we thought Goulburn was a good option for him.
Watch Incredible Hero’s most recent win at Mandurah here
Greyhound racing’s bluest of bloodlines
We have all heard about the most famous litter in the TAB Million Dollar Chase, the litter which has already produced four semi-finalists, Feral Franky, Good Odds Harada, Good Odds Buddy and Solar Sky. Now we find the bloodlines run deeper.
The Collision-Solar Pak litter has been the talk of the series, even for those with little interest in the intricacies of breeding.
On Sunday night at Nowra, Banjo Tifia led throughout to win the Regional Final of the TAB Million Dollar Chase. She’s not a part of the litter, but, delve a little deeper and you’ll find the relationship.
Banjo Tifia is by Banjo Boy out of Tifia. Tifia is out of the first litter of broodbitch Tifi, by Collison. The third litter of Tifi, by the sire Mogambo, produced, Solar Pak. And so, the incredible bloodlines continue to flow through the Million Dollar Chase series.
“She’s a grand daughter of Tifi and Feral Franky is a grandson of Tifi,” trainer-breeder CHRIS O’Brien said. “It’s just a phenomenal bloodline.”
Joining Banjo Tifia in the semi-finals out of the Nowra Regional Final are Zipping Norton, Awesome Catch, and Cashien.
Watch Banjo Tifia win the Nowra Regional Final here
Dubbo provides the ideal second chance
This year’s new qualification criteria for the TAB Million Dollar Chase, played perfectly into the hands of the Dennis Barnes-trained Nangar Gift, who on Saturday night booked her berth into the semi-finals of the series.
Nangar Gift showed explosive speed out of the boxes, charged to the lead, and her rivals never got near her as she clocked 29.56s to win the Regional Final of the Chase at Dubbo.
Barnes’ wife Ann explained that they thought Bathurst would be where Nangar Gift would have the best opportunity to qualify.
“We thought Bathurst would be her track because she loves Bathurst, and we just thought Bathurst would be a better track for her than the others in the series, so we went there. But she missed the kick out of the eight (box) and got tangled up on the first turn and didn’t qualify for their final.
“That would have been the end of it if the race (series) was like last year, but because you can try again at another country venue, we came to Dubbo. It’s so good they changed the conditions so you could go to another venue, and we have taken or second chance.”
Connie’s Boy was expected to be one of the leaders but was tardy out, and struck traffic on the first turn, before powering home to finish second and book his semi-final berth, three lengths behind the winner.
Third went to Jimmy Casey who will now join his brother Charlie Casey who finished second to Feral Franky in the Gunnedah Regional Final earlier this month, in the semi-finals.
Syd Swain’s Buck’s Future snapped up fourth spot and a place in the semi-finals. A year ago Buck’s Future came very close to making the inaugural Million Dollar Chase Grand Final, finishing 1½ lengths second behind Midnight Starlet in the semi-finals.
Watch Nangar Gift win the Dubbo Regional Final here
Daillys dominate at Richmond
The Daillys will have at least four semi-finalist for the TAB Million Dollar Chase, with three more from the kennel booking berths on Friday night at Richmond.
The Dailly’s promising dog Jaro Bale’s 30.11s was just three lengths outside the record mark of Punch One Out in blitzing his rivals at Richmond.
Spearing from the boxes to lead on settling, Jaro Bale just raced away from his seven opponents adding more distance between himself and his rivals the longer the race went.
At the finish there was a margin of 7¼ lengths with Shanjo Prince finishing runner-up, while Rockstar Beav was third and Lektra Zephyr finishing fourth and collecting the final place in the October 11 semi-finals at Wentworth Park.
It was a tremendous training effort by Andrea Dailly and her team, qualifying three of those four, Shanjo Prince the only one not belonging to them, instead trained by Mark Gatt.
The Dailly trio join their kennelmate Shima Shine who qualified after winning the Bulli Regional Final.
Watch Jaro Bale win the Richmond Regional Final here
Deliver really does live up to his name
All eyes were on the pair of Jason Thompson’s runners at Wagga Wagga on Friday night in the heats of the TAB Million Dollar Chase, and one of the pair literally delivered.
Most had expected both of Thompson’s pair, Black Opium and Deliver, to win their respective heats, but while Deliver did exactly that, Black Opium suffered a shock defeat in her heat, however she will still be a part of next weekend’s Regional Final.
Deliver jumped to the lead and off he went, showing he is not only a contender to win the Wagga Regional Final next Saturday, but is a serious contender in the TAB Million Dollar Chase.
He clocked a stunning 29.71s, that was 0.22s – more than three lengths – inside the old track record set by Good Odds Buddy back in May.
Fellow Victorian Extra Gear, tried hard, but he was never going to catch the flying Deliver, and finished nine lengths adrift of the flying star. Third went to Sunlit Conswala a further 3½ lengths behind.
Black Opium’s story was significantly different. She stepped moderately from her box seven draw, but couldn’t cross and found herself in traffic heading into the back.
Most would have still expected her to run down the leaders when she got clear air, but she seemed to blunder a little heading into the top turn, and while she managed to run into second she was not going to catch the winner, the Brian Smith-trained Ultimate Speed.
The winner clocked 30.04s with Black Opium a length back in second, posting 30.11s herself.
Victorian There’s A Catch took out the second heat, flying from the boxes and never threatened clocking 29.97s. Local dog Fire and Smoke finished second 2½ lengths away, with Ballistic Yaala a distant third.
The box draw for the final is: 1 Ultimate Speed 2 Extra Gear 3 Deliver 4 Perfect Marshall 5 Black Opium 6 Fire And Smoke 7 There’s A Catch 8 Sunlit Conswala 9 Ballistic Yaala 10 Ayo Joy.
Watch Deliver break the Wagga track record here
Golden Easter Egg winner Zipping Bailey retired
Connections of 2019 Golden Easter Egg winner Zipping Bailey, have decided it’s time for the brilliant sprinter to retire.
Zipping Bailey (pictured) contested the heats of the TAB Million Dollar Chase at Maitland on Thursday night, but it was clear she wasn’t herself and she finished outside the placings and failed to qualify for next week’s Regional Final.
Owner Marty Hallinan contacted trainer Jason MACKAY on Friday morning and a decision was soon made.
“Jase said she was limping really badly this morning, and I said will we throw her in the paddock (for a spell),” Hallinan said. “But probably with her age … you give her three months off, you’ve got to bring her back, get her fit, she’d be 3 ½ by then.
“Sometimes you’ve just got to pull the pin. She’s a valuable broodbitch with the shine of the Easter Egg win there.”
Hallinan explained that Zipping Bailey had originally suffered a hock injury following an incident in the catching pen at Wentworth Park in July. There was no bone damage, only cartilage, but MACKAY struggled to get her right, and get her ready for the Million Dollar Chase series.
She retires the winner of 21 races from 43 starts with 11 placings, and $371,016 in prizemoney. The pick of those wins came on April 20 this year when she produced a stunning last to first victory in the Golden Easter Egg Final, a performance recognised as the Run Of The year at the recent National Awards in Perth.
Watch Zipping Bailey’s amazing Golden Easter Egg win here
More MDC Heats decided
Heats of the series from Maitland, Lismore, and The Gardens were held during the past week, with those Regional Finals all to be run this week.
At Maitland it was Gold Cup winner Black Forge and the speedy Hardaway Titan leading the way in the qualifiers, with Jason MACKAY’s pair Flynn and Flying Bazza both also qualifying for next weekend’s final.
The box draw for the final is: 1 No Rules 2 Flying Bazza 3 Double Back 4 Cee Jay’s Boy 5 Flynn 6 Ronny 7 Hardaway Titan 8 Black Forge 9 Zipping Bailey 10 Willoughby.
At Lismore, Infrared Star and Smooth Act were the heat winners, and have set up what looks an intriguing final next Friday night, with Queenslanders Quara’s Flick and Dam Slippery sure to be fancied.
The box draw for the final is: 1 Hunter Kingsbrae 2 Infrared Star 3 Maywyn Cash 4 Dam Slippery 5 Bad Neighbour 6 Sequana 7 Quara’s Flick 8 Smooth Act 9 Chairman Jack 10 Shakey Diesel.
And at The Gardens, with just the one heat drawn, it effectively was a prelude, and the win went to Anne Foley’s Knight’s Page, beating Golden Easter Egg runner-up Federal Lilly, with Victorian Get It Gizmo in third.
The box draw for the final is: 1 Miley Nismo 2 Federal Lilly 3 Sheba’s Dream 4 Get It Gizmo 5 Eye Rock 6 Mystic Riot 7 Knight’s Page 8 Galaxy Banner.
