Smith Pair Looking To Ride The Fortune In Champion Puppy Final
Smith Pair Looking To Ride The Fortune In Champion Puppy Final
An excellent final of the 2024 Champion Puppy awaits at Angle Park on Thursday, with a strong field assembled after two heats last week.
It was Kerry Stagg’s night last week, training both heat winners in Dakota Ava and Dakota Rylan. For Dakota Ava, it was a super strong victory with the blue bitch putting together a career best effort to win from box eight in a fast 30.53. In heat two, it was the brother, Dakota Rylen, who put everything together and led all the way in 30.73.
Despite the strong victories from the ‘Dakota’ pair in the heats, there is plenty of competition in the final, with numerous winning chances involved in the $10,000 to the winner final.
One chaser who will be looking to cause an upset in the final is the Damien Smith trained Bookaloo, who qualifies after running a strong third in the heat behind Dakota Rylen. From box three last week, she worked hard early to try and get to the lead, but lost her positioning around the first turn. Despite this, she stuck on gallantly and only went down by a few lengths. Smith also has Jabuk in the final on Thursday, with the black dog leading in his heat, before getting comfortably beaten by the favourite in the final Dakota Ava. Smith was pleased with the pair's runs but concedes they have a lot to learn at the track still.
“She’s (Bookaloo) still got a lot of improvement, she’s getting there, she’s getting better and better. She steps out on the corners though, so I am not sure. Even the dog (Jabuk), he hasn’t adapted to the two turns. His first two splits at Murray Bridge, he’s just got to adapt them to the two turns.”
So far in her career, Bookaloo, the daughter of My Redeemer x Rosie Red (Nov 22’) has drawn box three or four at each of her career starts. After running a slick 22.51 on debut at Murray Bridge, she has run consistently at each start and is yet to miss a placing in her six start career. With a personal best time of 30.86 at Angle Park, she is clearly good enough to be a winning chance with a bit of luck on Thursday.
“We haven’t seen anywhere near the best of her, when we first started her, I didn’t want her in the Murray Bridge maiden because I didn’t think she was quick enough speed wise, so she surprised us that night when she won because she hadn’t really shown any speed in her trials or anything. She’s probably not driving through the first corner (at Angle Park) like I would like her to, but it’s just a learning thing,” Smith said.
Continuing the theme for her career so far, Bookaloo has drawn box three for the final, with a couple of slower beginners outside of her. If she is to be winning the race, then she will need to have her best box manners on show. The speedster, which is her brother, Jabuk, has drawn box five. Smith concedes that Dakota Ava is clearly the one to beat and his pair would need some luck in the race to be a winning chance.
“We want the five (Jabuk) to come out and clean the one (Dakota Ava) up!” Smith joked lamentingly
“We didn’t want the one (Dakota Ava) to draw where it did, it’s going to be on to the first corner I’m thinking. I’d like to think I could give her (Bookaloo) a chance, you would like to see her behind the one (Dakota Ava) dog without stepping outwards on the first corner.
“He’s (Jabuk) had limited time there and she (Bookaloo) had one trial before her races there so she’s pretty green around there. She began good last week, so she will probably be in the hunt into the first corner, so whether she can drive through on the corner or not is a different question.
“He’s a speedster, but she’s way stronger than him. I think she’s more of a chance, but it depends what he does, he might carve her up. If she gets a clear run then she’s a chance, but she’s not up to the one (Dakota Ava) dog.”
Racing will start at 6:40pm on Thursday.
Best Bets:
Paua Of Silence (Race 4, Number 1)
Zipping Luda (Race 12, Number 1)