By Isaac Murphy
There was hype all week around the Group-class field assembled for the Winged Runner Trophy featuring the best eight bitches at Albion Park.
The race delivered in spades with Fred Swain’s All Hands Off (pictured) winning a classic edition of the event.
Swain’s bitch held pre-race favouritism, despite drawing off the track and having a very light few weeks after a split webbing, but Swain insisted there were no excuses for Albion Park’s third fastest bitch of all time with the bravest win of her career.
Travis Elson’s Limited Edition gave a great sight at odds leading them out of the straight from box four, which made All Hands Off work the whole race.
Instantaneously Leanne Hall’s Extra Malt hit the frame, just missing in a photo finish.
A proud Swain lauded the run.
“That’s some kind of win given the last few weeks we’ve had, she split her webbing here three weeks ago on a Thursday night and almost ruled out this race, but it was probably the bitch who convinced me to run her in the end,” Swain said.
“We were in a tricky spot with Limited Edition in front and Extra Malt making ground from behind, she knows where the post is though and made sure she got her head down.
“She’s been in some tough races throughout her career, but that field tonight is probably the best she’s ever faced and gives me plenty of confidence heading into the winter carnival.”
As content as Swain was with the win he knows All Hands Off can go bigger and thinks the timing is finally right approaching the Brisbane Cup.
“We’ve been unlucky in the past missing big races through injury or when she’s been on season, this win is the ideal gateway to have her ready for a Group One tilt," he said.
“We’ll be seeing a lot of these chasers again over the next couple of months, as satisfying as this is we’ve got bigger goals.
“I’m sure they’ll come from near and far for the Brisbane Cup but even though we’re not true locals this is where she does her best racing.”
Runner-up and Group 3 Ipswich Auction series champion Extra Malt lost no admirers with her performance showing at just over two-years-old she was ready to mix it with the best sprinters going around.
The only problem for Leanne and Graham Hall is placing the bitch.
“It’s a tough one you have races like the Group 1 Sapphire Crown at Sandown and Group 3 Ladies Bracelet at Wentworth Park which are restricted bitches’ races coming up in May and she’s shown tonight she’s up to the level," Leanne Hall said.
“If we were to take her to one of those events, she’d miss the Young Guns here at home which is a race she’s in a really good position to win.”
“It’s a good problem to have, she’s racing as well as ever and we’ll have to make out minds up in the next week or so.”
Races
Ninetymile King (pictured) continued his picket line form over the 600m, hustling around the field to sit second past the post and it was times and margins from there on in as he cruised away in 34.9 seconds.
Kennel representative Chris Johnson was lapping up the dog’s brilliant form.
“We were looking for him to go a bit quicker than that tonight (34.9), but it’s hard to complain when he’s winning with so much in hand, we’ve been in greyhounds 25 years and never had something like him,” Johnson said.
“Even though these wins are pretty soft at the moment I think they’re necessary, he ran a lot of placings over the sprint before we got him up to the 600m, so it’s been good to get him in that winning frame of mind.
“He’s got his pattern of drawing wide and just racing around dogs which is perfectly fine, but I wouldn’t mind him drawn inside next week just for something different.”
Johnson and his partner Bianca Whitford have timed their run with the chaser and are staring down the barrel of a career defining winter carnival.
“His schedule has worked out really nicely he’s got the fifth-grade final next week, then a Listed 600m following that and by that time we’ll be looking at getting him ready for the 700m by winter carnival time,” Johnson said.
“We’re really interested to see how he goes when another dog really tests him over the distance, he’s a real competitor and I think you’ll see his times come down when he races in tougher company.
“We thought about maybe taking him to Melbourne for a Sandown Cup campaign but he’s in such a good rhythm up here and we don’t want to throw him out when there’s that many nice races at home.”
Ninetymile King might get the challenge he’s been looking for next week when he meets fellow heat winner Smart Lilly for Ray and Mary Burman.
The bitch got the better of a great battle with Power Point Diva.
“It’s nice to see after a few 700m on end she can go back to the 600m and still show that good early speed,” Mary Burman said.
“She’s got a big motor and I knew she would keep going with Power Point Diva on her tail, but she is a bit one paced, thankfully her fitness really shone through as she came away in the straight.
“Ninetymile King is going to take some beating next week but the way she races if she’s able to get out and, on the lure, early she could really make him work to make up the ground, she was only a tenth slower than him tonight.”
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Impact (pictured) hadn’t made an appearance on race day since late February when he dominated the Bob Vernon Memorial Maiden at Capalaba for trainer Kev Ellis.
Ellis has clearly been hard at work with the pup, who bloused them going 29.96 seconds, winning his Novice race.
“There was nothing wrong with him after his Bob Vernon win, it’d just been some time since he’d seen Albion Park in any capacity, so I just wanted to do my due diligence before I turned him out,” Ellis said.
“He had a couple of post to posts and a couple of trials which gave me the impression he’d go pretty well first up tonight, but he’s probably exceeded expectations a bit there.
“He can dwell a bit early so 5.54 seconds to the mark is a great result, he’s not too quick through the middle (11.66) and strong home (12.76) which gives me the inkling he’s going to get over more ground in the future.”
Also at Albion Park on the night, the mixed fourth and fifth grade was a rough house affair with the charge of the light brigade to the first turn.
But, it was Craig Chandler’s Paw It On that came out stalking Hope’s King, the former too strong in the run home and due for a good draw.
“I wasn’t sure about his chances tonight he had a lot of speed outside him in seven and eight but to his credit he’s found a way through and run home well,” Chandler said.
“I dropped him back to the 431m recently at Ipswich just trying to sharpen him up at box rise, the dogs been going great just hasn’t had luck in the run until tonight.
“30.02 seconds is about his level he’s had a run of outside boxes since we’ve brought him down this prep, maybe if he comes up with the one or two we could see him get down to 29.8 seconds where he’ll be really competitive.”
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