Sims' Young Gun Aims Up At Country Feature

They say they smaller the town, the bigger the whispers.

So when word got out of Illabo in the state’s south, with a population of 150 or so, that Ray Sims had a new litter of pups that could really run, you can imagine the roar echoing down the road in nearby Wagga Wagga.

Bianca’s Boy, trained by Sims and owned by Shane Felke, has so far lived up to the hype and has taken the Riverina region by storm, winning five of his first seven starts at the Wagga circuit ahead of Friday night’s Group 3 Ladbrokes Bidgee Cup final.

“He’s certainly blessed with a fair bit of ability but he’s still learning about the caper and does a few things wrong,” owner Felke said.

“He got beaten as a short-priced favourite a few runs ago and that was the first time he’d had to think his way through a race. He had a few decisions to make last week in the heats too so that was probably good for him. Another couple of strides and he probably gets up so we’re happy with how he’s going.”

“And he’s only just turned two, so he’s the baby of the cup field. In 12-months it will probably be his time to really shine but there’s no interstate visitors this year so hopefully we can take home the victory.” 

Drawing Box 1 in the $25,000 feature final certainly enhancing the team’s confidence.

“The only time he’s had Box 1 he won by 14.5 lengths and ran 30.03, albeit against easier opposition, but Ray [Sims] and I wanted the one box and thankfully we came up with it,” Felke added.

“He’s not brilliant early but if he’s a length or two off them down the back, he’s got the strength to overrun them. I think Rampani and Tiggerlong Amy look hardest to beat, they’ve been racing in the city and were both impressive in their heats. But it’s a $25,000 race in your own backyard so we had to have a throw at the stumps.”

And it was that same sort of swing-and-see attitude that landed Felke and Sims the mother of Bianca’s Boy – Bianca Keeping.

The pair purchasing the black bitch for “around $1000” back in 2018 before going on to claim 19 races with her.

She’s now the mother of nine pups to Zipping Garth, with the eight to have raced already winning 27 of their 73 starts.

“I told Ray that Bianca Keeping was for sale and once he bought her, he just fell in love. She was like his long-lost daughter,” Felke said.

“She had great early speed, was honest and lovely natured, so Ray asked if I wanted to breed a litter out of her. Between the two of us and his wife Lynette, we whelped the pups, broke them in and now we’re having the time of our life racing them all.”

“Ray trains Bianca’s Boy, Bianca’s Son (six wins), Bianca’s Idol (four wins), Swift Bianca and Lyn’s Bianca and I’ve got Bianca’s Man, Bianca’s Mate (five wins) and Tiny Bianca (three wins). They’ve all won at least one race and they’re just great chasers and lovely dogs.” 

Bianca’s Man set to step out on Friday night as well in the ‘Wagga 400’ Final worth $3,000.

“He’s not well boxed in the 4 because he’s not a brilliant beginner but he’ll run his usual honest race. Betty Birdcage [Box 1] went good in the heat last week and Silvertree Fan [Box 2] goes alright as well so they look hard to beat.”

“Bianca’s Man actually broke in the slowest of the litter and he’s just taken a bit of time to mature. He’s improved a lot on what he was running early days and it’s a very even race so the winner will need a bit of luck. Whoever is in front going past the 300m boxes will probably take it out.”

Littermates Bianca’s Son and Bianca’s Mate and will go around in Races 8 and 10 respectively.

“I think The Dogs website has Bianca’s Mate as the best bet of the night, he’s had a freshen up and should go alright. And Bianca’s Son is in the Bidgee Brisk final. He’s a smart pup and only over the short courses at the minute but in time, he’ll get over a bit of ground because he’s a quick dog.”

The 11-race card, featuring the Ladbrokes Bidgee Cup decider, kicks off at the Wagga Greyhound Club at 7:13pm on Friday, November 10.