Kimba Neo was far from the fastest of Wednesday night's five Ladbrokes Magic Maiden heat winners but she goes into Saturday's $25,000 to the winner final as the bargain buy of the field.
While One Hot Bandit was reportedly Syndicated for a large six figure sum and equal fastest qualifier Zipping Rousey is a member of leading breeder Marty Hallinan's never-ending nursery of bluebloods, Kimba Neo is a $5000 bargain buy.
After being placed five times from 11 races in Victoria she was advertised via the internet and purChased by Sydney's Chase Me Syndicate for the price of rearing a pup.
And while Kimba Neo led throughout at Wentworth Park to win first-up for Londonderry trainer Jack Lowe, she was bought purely for her value as a brood bitch.
Lowe said: "She comes from a fantastic dam line and her mother, Neo Cleo, won 36 of 78 starts and nearly $432,000 prizemoney.
"We figured that for only $5000 she was a bargain, even if she never won a race.
"But since her last race in Victoria on January 29 I had been planning a Magic Maiden campaign for her.''
Kimba Neo showed good early zip in her heat, coming from box seven and racing wide to win by four lengths in 30.24, well outside the sizzling time standards of 29.68 posted by Zipping Rousey and One Hot Bandit.
Kimba Neo has drawn box seven again in Saturday's final, so is well positioned.
She is not the first moderately performed former Victorian to flourish under Jack Lowe's training.
Barooga Franky, who had won just two from 25 races in Victoria, was taken over by Lowe in mid 2021 and won six races for the Londonderry trainer, including a slick 30.01 performance at Wentworth Park in February, 2022, along with a string of placings at headquarters.
Hill Top Belle, a present from breeder Kevin Gordon to Nowra trainer Steve Fitch, has truly become the gift which keeps on giving with her daughter Elle Yeah qualifying for Saturday night's Ladbrokes Golden Easter Egg and her son Cumbria Kid being the fastest of eight Ultra Sense heat winners at Wentworth Park on Friday night.
Cumbria Kid, by Fernando Bale from Hill Top Belle, was whelped in March, 2020, and his easy win in a personal best 29.73 was his 15th and took his earnings to just on $60,000.
Hill Top Belle's first litter, sired by Barcia Bale and produced in March, 2018, included Cumbria Lad, whose 28 wins reaped over $117,000 for Fitch and Cumbria Dreaming, who earned the Nowra trainer over $101,000 from two dozen victories.
Because that litter also included Cumbria Jim (17 wins, $66,000), Cumbria Belle (11 wins, $45,350) and Cumbria Ninno (seven wins, $34,246) Fitch was initially disappointed with Hill Top Belle's Fernando Bale offspring.
But after Cumbria Kid's sizzling Ultra Sense heat win Fitch said: "When this litter was 18 months old they were going to be no more than average fifth graders.
"I planned to sell a few and have a break from the sport but they kept getting better and better and 18 months later one of them is fastest qualifier for the Ultra Sense on Easter Egg final night.''
Elle Yeah, whose 13 wins have netted her owner-trainer Allan Manwarring $62,380, is also a member of the Fernando Bale-Hill Top Belle litter.
But Steve Fitch presented Manwaring with Elle Yeah as a gift when she was a puppy after his Nowra neighbour required a youngster to keep company with a pup the Manwaring family was raising.
In return, Fitch was given a 25 per cent share in Elle Yeah, who is now chasing a $300,000 pay night in next Saturday's Easter Egg.
