LOUIS Rumble's opportunity to atone for his shock defeat in last year's Charcoal Inn Casino Cup has hit a stumbling block in Friday's $25,000 to the winner final thanks to the generosity of his owner-trainer Steve Kavanagh.
Eight years ago Kavanagh made a gift of a bitch called Busy Rumble to long time family friend Michael Lalicz, whose two finalists in Friday night's $25,000 Casino Cup final are the grandsons of that greyhound.
Last Friday Lalicz won Cup heats with fastest qualifier Rapid Ripple in 27.58 and his litter brother Sauve Ripple in 27.70, while Kavanagh's old warrior Louis Rumble was successful in 27.60.
Louis Rumble and Steve Kavanagh. Photo by Lisa Vanderstock.
Louis Rumble was sent out a $1.85 favourite for last year's Casino Cup but missed the jump and finished fifth to Aston Titan.
Louis Rumble had box seven when he overcame an early check to lift his earnings to $253,000 with his heat win last Friday and has the same draw in the final.
But the box draw has favoured Lalicz's pair, with Rapid Ripple coming up with box one and Sauve Ripple in eight.
Rapid Ripple and Michael Lalicz. Photo by Lisa Vanderstock.
"My pair are perfectly drawn,'' Lalicz said.
"Rapid Ripple missed the kick before winning his heat from box eight but that is unusual for him, he is normally capable of coming out smartly.
"Before the heats Sauve Ripple had drawn box eight in four of his previous five races and he seemed a bit lost coming out of box one last Friday.
"I have been setting these dogs for this race for months, giving them plenty of experience on the Casino track and now they get their chances from ideal draws.
"There is not much between them and while I have not trialled them together on a racetrack, when I trial them up the straight Rapid Ripple always makes the pace but Sauve Ripple usually catches him at the finish.
"Eight years ago I established my property at Dungay, in the Tweed shire, and to help get me started Steve Kavanagh presented me with a bitch called Busy Rumble.
"She won four of just 16 races but he reckoned she would be a good brood bitch and her mother Ripple Rumble not only won 11 from 35 starts but became the dam of my two Casino Cup finalists.
"The first litter I bred from Busy Rumble, which included Ripple Rumble, won $250,000 in prizemoney, so it was a pretty good present.
"I'm 50 now and Steve Kavanagh has known me since I was born, he was a good mate of my father and I used to play footy with his son.
"While I owe a lot to Steve, he has won enough prizemoney with Louis Rumble so he can have box seven.
"I told him it is now my turn and it was only fair that my dogs would draw the good boxes, one, and eight.''
