First Seven TAB Million Dollar Chase Semi-Finalists
By GRNSW
While the honour of being crowned your State’s Sprint Champion is an amazing accolade, the real prize on offer for the seven feature events on Thursday night was the carrot dangled by Greyhound Racing NSW – a free pass all the way through to the semi-finals of the TAB Million Dollar Chase.
Each State Sprint Champion - and the NZ Champion - does not have to go through Regional or City qualifying process for the world’s richest greyhound race now, they now have between them the first seven places among what will be a total of 64 semi-finalists at Wentworth Park on October 9.
From there, it’s just one more win and they will race the following Friday, October 16, for a $1 million first prize.
The Mark Gatt-trained Ritza Coen has become the revelation of NSW greyhound racing in recent months, and he was crowned State Champion with another impressive performance, storming home to win in 29.66s.
The win, the seventh in a row for Ritza Coen, is his most important as it not only stamps him as one of the leading sprinters in the State, but it comes with that bonus of the Million Dollar Chase semi-final berth.
Due to their new curfew-dictated earlier start, the first TAB Million Dollar Chase semi-final berth was expected to either go to Shima Shine or Simon Told Helen, the pair dominating discussions before the Victorian State Sprint Final at Sandown Park.
But after leading from the jump, and looking the winner down the back, Simon Told Helen was unable to hold off the finishing burst of Weblec Ace.
The Jeff Britton-trained Weblec Ace clocked 29.61s in taking out the event, finishing one and half lengths ahead of Simon Told Helen. The win, his 15th from 36 starts, took Weblec Ace’s career earnings above the $100,000 mark.
Many expected that it would be Oh Mickey taking out the Queensland State Sprint Championship, but it was his kennelmate Stinger Noir who took out the feature, the title and importantly the invitation to the MDC semi-final.
Stinger Noir took the lead heading into the back straight and was able to hold off a tenacious Shakey Diesel in 30.14s.
We saw in NSW last month the ability of Western Australian dog Tommy Shelby when he contested the Group 1 Vic Peters Classic, and we will get another chance to see him in October when he contests the TAB Million Dollar Chase semi-finals after taking out the WA State Sprint Championship Final at Cannington.
Drawn box two, Tommy Shelby managed to negotiate his way around the first turn safely, then powered past the leaders at the top of the back straight, going on to win in 29.82s.
NEW ZEALAND will have a semi-finalist in the Million Dollar Chase, with an invitation being extended to the connections of Leonard Bale after he won the GRNZ National Final at Addington on Thursday night.
The Craig Roberts-trained sprinter - a son of Fernando Bale and Folio Bale - managed to cross his rivals in a charge to the first turn, and once in front, he was never going to be headed clocking 30.37s.
Leonard Bale took his record to 16 starts for 10 wins and three placings with the smart performance, not his fastest, but now among his most important wins.
Meanwhile in South Australia at Angle Park, there were no surprises, as the short-priced favourite Shadow Mist speared out of the boxes, took the lead and raced away to win comfortably in 29.39s.
A Tasmanian owned greyhound finished second in the inaugural Million Dollar Chase back in 2018 when Jamella Jet was runner-up to Mystic Riot, and Debbie Cannan's Siberia will be looking to go one better for the Apple Isle after winning the Tasmanian Sprint title and claiming the Million Dollar Chase semi-final ticket.
Siberia was the rougher of the Debbie Cannan pair with the bookies, with Amy Cora the favourite, finishing third, the kennelmates split by Fabulous Baroque.
While there wasn’t a ticket to the Million Dollar Chase semi-finals on offer, there were a handful of State Distance Championships also held around the country on Thursday night.
At Albion Park, the Tony Apap-trained Rasheda came with a well-timed burst to take out the Queensland Distance Championships, the brilliant Sir Truculent took out the South Australian Distance title, while the warrior, Blue Moon Rising, registered his 44th win with victory at Wentworth Park in the NSW Distance title.
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