Victorian Umberto and the Nowra Hill-based Mortified are currently joint favourites for the Group 1 Ladbrokes Dapto Megastar final to be run on Thursday night at the famous South Coast circuit.
The winner will take home $75,000 and first three across the line will qualify for the semi-finals of the Ladbrokes Million Dollar Chase on October 6 at Wentworth Park.
Here’s a closer look at the final field:
1. Umberto | Jason Thompson (handled by Peter Lagogiane)
Could be a star in the making and, like many of the finalists, will be making his first appearance in a Group 1 decider.
The son of Bernardo was a runner-up to Dundee Rebel in the Group 2 Flying Amy Classic back in July and has a fourth-placed finish behind Al’s Entity (who made the podium in the recent Vic Peters Classic final) in the Group 3 Vicbred Maiden Final on his resume as well.
His 24 race starts have produced 11 wins and 10 minors, he has a best of 29.28 at Sandown over 515m and he did all but win in his heat last week. Under the care of Peter Lagogiane while in NSW and will get a dream run from Box 1.
Looking to capture the race for the second time after Aqua Cheetah’s win in 2017.
Thompson on Umberto's chances: The draw is very good for him as there’s plenty of speed in the race and you really need to be underneath it all to hold them out. Box 1 gives him the opportunity and he’s a little bit quicker than Stealth so he’d be the pick of the two. I think it’s a pretty even race to be honest but the dog that will improve a lot is Afire, he’s a very good dog.
On Aqua Cheetah’s victory in 2017: I remember Aqua Cheetah had Box 8 and we thought he was a certainty and we backed him. You might only need a couple of fingers to know how many times we’ve been to Dapto since so hopefully it's a happy hunting ground again this time around.
Peter Lagogiane (pictured) alongside Umberto is the caretaker trainer for Jason Thompson during the Ladbrokes Dapto Megastar
Mortified returned to racing with a bang last week and sent a timely reminder to the chasing world that she is a force to be reckoned with in the back half of 2023.
Still has all of her early pace (5.38 to the first mark in the heats and her best is 5.33) and came from just off the speed to win her heat in comfortable fashion.
Absolutely loves Dapto and has only gone under once in six appearances (and that was on debut in June last year). Since that maiden defeat, has run times of 29.55, 29.62 and 29.77 at the track, she’s claimed 16 race wins and should get a clean run from Box 2.
Deserves a Group 1 win with this litter and has another good hand in the Megastar.
O'Brien on Mortified's chances: She went into the heat with no work because of a little niggle. I got the OK to run her the day before but she’d been on the lead for 10 days, that’s why the run was special. Box 2 is beautiful and I am glad she’s inside her sister [Quantifiable]. She’s the pick of my two but I think the Melbourne dogs will be hard to beat. She could run anything if she’s on the lure, 29.40 or 29.50 at her best.
The litter sister to Mortified and National Sprint finalist Modern Swinger, Quantifiable might not be as strong as her siblings but she has the early motor to match it with this field.
She bounced back to form last week in the heats after knuckling badly at the start 14 days ago, with her 29.78 run good enough to finish second to Stealth and hold off the likes of Nangar Rocket and Zippy Tesla.
The daughter of O’Brien’s brood bitch Banjo Tifia doesn’t have a win over the Dapto 520m but has claimed five wins over the shorts and knows the track inside out. May drift right a little right once the lids fly but should be in the mix approaching the first turn.
O’Brien on Quantifiable's chances: Quantifiable ran a brilliant race last week and she has been pretty keen, rocking back and forth in the boxes, but hopefully that’s sorted. She does have a tendency to go a little bit right but that should help Mortified. She pulled up beautifully and I’m not discounting her.
CHRIS O'Brien will send out two chances (and litter sisters) in the $75,000 feature.
A dog in pretty good form after winning the Speed Star at Sandown two back before running a narrow second to all-the-way leader Remember This in the heats.
Looked the winner up the back straight last week but just couldn’t work his way around the leader and launched late to almost nab his tenth career victory.
That was his first look at the track and with natural improvement, he looms as a major threat. The query is where he ends up from Box 4 with stacks of pace to his inside and fast starters Stealth and Remember This drawn to his outside.
A maiden Group 1 win for the Sharp kennel would be nice reward for making the long trip up from Victoria.
Sharp on Afire's chances: I think he’ll have the most improvement of any dog in the race from the heats. I’m happy with Box 4 and if he jumps with them, he’s a lower 5.0 dog at The Meadows and Sandown. He’s a quick dog and he’d be in the top half of the field for that first split. The thing against him is the different boxes and Victorian dogs take a bit of time to get used to it. We’ve never won a Group 1 and we’ve got a big group coming along so it should be a good night.
The second of the Thompson dogs is a multiple Group finalist, a G3 Country Championship winner and has claimed over $100,000 in career prizemoney well before his third birthday.
The key to his race will be how well he begins. Capable of some ridiculous early splits (4.99 at Sandown) and will need every ounce of that early pace if he’s to lead this field up from Box 5.
Has earned a cheque in 33 of 44 race starts and his front running style certainly matches the profile of many Dapto Megastar winners of the past.
Probably the best roughie in the field and wouldn’t surprise if he got up.
Thompson on Stealth's chances: He’s very honest, he’s a good beginner and he’s very much suited to Dapto being a speed dog and a railer. I think he will find a little it extra in the final. He had Box 5 in his heat and he led so I’m hoping he does that again. I think most of them will go straight but there might be a bit of trouble through that first bend. I think the winner will probably have to run under 29.60 to win it.
Was the surprise packet of the heats after fending off Afire to win in 29.66 and qualify for her first Group final for Vic and Darren Sultana.
Came into the series off a 29.92 win at Wentworth Park but her form had largely been OK without being outstanding. Did go 29.77 at Wenty in July and has consistently been running in behind proven topflight performers Modern Swinger, Screaming Jet and We Don’t Share.
Was probably at her best last week in a bold front running capacity, and although that race shape will probably win the final, she will find it hard to lead from Box 6 despite her good history in green.
Vic Sultana on Remember This' chances: She handles the outside because she tends to come out alright but there’s a lot of pace inside her so I’m not sure she’ll get across and she needs to lead in this type of race to win. Her mother Sky Wave was in the 2018 final and I thought I could win it but she had the outside and she missed the start and that was it. Thompson’s dog, Umberto, is going to be hard to beat and Mortified goes well too.
A fairly recent edition to the Sultana kennel after having his first 17 starts in Victoria, Bailey Bear has won four from seven races in NSW.
He qualified fastest for this final after going 29.49 in the heats, and he did it in fine style too, giving Umberto four lengths at the 600m boxes before mowing him down in the shadows of the post.
The draw certainly does him no favours and with his penchant for the rail, he will need a lot of luck to find the fence in the early stages of this race.
Sultana ran third with Yuko Girl in last year’s Megastar and assisted daughter Kristy in 2020 when Flying Ricciardo claimed the race.
Sam Sultana on Bailey Bear's chances: He’s a very fast dog on the lure but he needs to get on the fence so it’s going to be very difficult, he actually needs a miracle to get across from Box 7. He’s got early speed but he doesn’t have the pace to cross these sort of dogs. He trialled 29.60 first look and then went 29.49 so his best is good enough but I think Umberto and Mortified are the ones to beat. It’s a really hot race and they’re going to be going so fast to the first corner.
On the Flying Ricciardo win in 2020: It was big night and I don’t usually get excited in running but I did that night. Simon Told Helen got to the front and looked unbeatable, but he ran him down. Yuko Girl ran third last year so it’s been a good race for us.
The outsider of the field has drawn a box he’s had a lot of success from in the past, but never in a race of this quality.
There is a world where he runs a straight line to the first bend and avoids any potential jam up once they get there, but he’d need to fly the lids, hope for a big squeeze in behind and then hang on for dear life as the chasing pack descends late.
Maybe just a tenth or two outside some of these but he is as honest as the day is long and it would be a win for the ages if the Stiff camp pulled it off.
Stiff on Return Mac's chances: Look, there’s probably seven faster dogs in the race so we’re not going there with any great confidence but he puts in 110% every time. He made The Thunderbolt final, he’s won 25 races, and the owners are getting a big thrill out of it. 400m to 440m is his best distance but if you can lead around the first turn at Dapto, you’re half a chance so that’s his best hope. The Melbourne dogs are all very good and CHRIS [O‘Brien] is on his own dung hill with his dogs broken in and educated there so they’ll be hard to beat too.
