Tania Headed To Melbourne For Cup

By Jeff Collerson
Tania Keeping will head to Melbourne for the group 1 Hume Cup at The Meadows following her personal best 29.70 Wentworth Park 520m win on Saturday night.

The John Finn-trained bitch shaved .06sec off her previous best Wenty figures when she ran down Lady Stomp to win a 520m fifth grade by four lengths.

Amazingly, Tania Keeping was only nominated for Saturday's meeting because there were no suitable middle distance races available at the weekend.

Finn's wife Minnie said: "We wanted to put her over 600m this weekend but when there was no race for her we threw her into the shorter races at Wenty Park.

"Tania Keeping has now eared a crack at the Hume Cup over 600m at The Meadows.''

The $75,000 to the winner Cup final will be run on November 5.


Fastest time on Saturday was posted by the CHRIS O'Brien-trained Mortified, who led throughout in 29.63 and in doing so ended the unbeaten streak of the Finn-trained Zipping Orlando.

Mortified clocked nippy initial splits of 5.45 and 13.75 before holding off a late challenge by Ritza Donna, while Zipping Orlando was well back throughout and finished fifth.

Zipping Orlando had won his previous eight races but on Saturday night was rearward in the early stages and after a bumping duel with Where's Rocky leaving the catching pen was never a hope.


Bankrolled, who was sidelined in June for two months after splitting the webbing on a foot, bounced back to lead all the way on Saturday in 30.08.

Bankrolled is owned by Ian Wallace and trained by his wife NICOLE, who is the daughter of Pauline and Steve Moran, trainers of the former champion stayer Total Denial.

NICOLE and Ian Wallace bred Banrkolled from their bitch Aye Tee Oh, who won 720m races at Wentworth Park in June and August, 2017.

Aye Tee Oh got her name after being purchased by the Wallaces with the proceeds of their taxation refund from the Australian Taxation Office.

"She had a litter of just two pups to Fernando Bale in August, 2020, but we nearly lost both the mother and the pups so Aye Tee Oh won't be having any more babies,'' NICOLE Wallace said.


Good Odds Buzz reeled off sizzling first and second splits of 5.39 and 13.74 en route to his all-the-way win in 30.22 in Saturday's opening event.

It was the dog's 13th win in 26 starts but only his second visit to Wentworth Park.

After the race trainer Frank Hurst said: "Reason Good Odds Buzz has had only one previous run at Wenty is because he can't run a strong 520m.

"He went fast early tonight but his run home time of 12.32 shows he struggles to get the 520m.''

Justin King, a neighbour of trainer Kerry Drynan, brought Reflections to Wentworth Park on Saturday on behalf of the greyhound's trainer and took back a winner when Drynan's bitch led throughout in a fast 29.73.

"I offered to bring Reflections to the races and allow Kerry to stay home with her children because she had only one runner and I was coming to Wentworth Park anyway,'' King said later.

"After Reflections went so well Kerry phoned me and said I can have the job for life.''


Trunkey Bill won Saturday's sole 720m race by 15 lengths in a flying 41.87, vindicating trainer Tony Godden's faith in the dog's ability.

Godden has always known Trunkey Bill was capable of fast times but had been disappointed the dog had rarely reproduced his trialling figures in races.