Springvale Roxy Ready For Her Toughest Test Yet
It will be a big night at Angle Park on Thursday with the heats of four feature race finals being run, with the finals to culminate next week. The heats of the ‘Bonfire’, ‘Inferno’, ‘Ashes’ and ‘Flame’ will take centre stage on the night and the card has drawn the best chasers which the state currently has to offer. Last year’s ‘Festival Of Fire’ series proved a ripper with some fantastic races on finals night.
Springvale Roxy has been nothing short of airborne in recent times for Michael Ginitotis, having won her last three starts at Gawler in flying times, showing shearing speed and strength which is making her completely unbeatable when she does everything right. She will take a big rise in class on Thursday, when she lines up for the first heat of the ‘Ashes’ which is the premier race of the Festival Of Fire series. The two heats are made up of our best sixteen dogs in the state. Next week’s final will be an eight dog field with the first four from both heats to make their way through. The final will carry a $20,000 to the winner prize, which is no doubt quite lucrative! Springvale Roxy has been in consistent form for a while now, but it’s her last three starts where she has gone to another level, with the times she has been running. It is imperative that she brings that form to Angle Park on Thursday with the strength and quality of dogs like Mallee Magic and Harbor Blues, who will be their to pounce on any errors from the others. Giniotis puts the form of the fawn bitch down to finding some easier fields and knows that the job won’t be easy come Thursday night.
“It’s called supreme placement! I learned a very long time ago that if the dogs are not top class then their is no use chasing Thursday night prize money.” said Giniotis
“The wins at Gawler have been grade 5, 4, and 3/4/5, she’s a small bitch and she needs to lead as small bitches do. If she’s on the arm then she can run real good time, the only way you get her there is to put her in company that can’t go with her. Then you have to draw a field where they don’t hit her early.”
“She’s been jumping on the arm in races that have suited.”
“I have to nominate for this race just in the hope that you find a field where she might get a chance to run to the front.”
“She’s in there on the hope that she could maybe lead and do what she can do. If she leads, then she can run 30.40 with quick sectionals which will be competitive, but not on the arm is a different story altogether.”
“The dog on her outside, Sister Roberta, has equal early pace so they’re going to come together. Ben's dog in the red Panorama has been jumping and accelerating nicely, she could probably outpace her if she was left alone. There's pace in the race and then there's the strength of Mallee Magic and all of those. If you get on the arm, you have to hope that a couple of them don’t get clear runs.”
“Unfortunately the draw doesn’t suit us too well, but you know. I’ve still got all my grade 5, 400m races at Gawler and Angle Park so that’s where I will be shopping after this race.”
The ‘Bonfire’ is the one event over the 595m trip and is open to all chasers. Two small, but quality fields have been put together with a top four position in the heats to secure a spot in the final next week. Harry has recently joined the care of Brenda Oakey and has been in strong form since arriving at her kennel. He produced a surprise victory over the Angle Park 595m trip three starts ago, before winning well last start at Gawler over the 531m trip, defeating Spring Phoebe who took out the Anniversary Cup at Murray Bridge on Sunday. It won’t be easy for Harry on Thursday who has drawn box two in the harder of the two heats, with the likes of Run Like Jess, Vega Black and Springvale Rex all to do battle in heat two. Oakey concedes it’s a tough race, but will be hoping that Harry can step his best and get to the front.
“I think Harry is in good form, the first two starts he had coming to the kennel over 530m he didn’t have a lot of luck, but since then he has settled in very well and is very happy. He’s working really well, looking for a game.” Said Oakey
“I like to think he’s a chance as long as he can settle up forward in the run, there's some really talented dogs in the race so it should be a good race. Hopefully can do enough to get himself through to the final.”
The ‘Inferno’ is a race that is graded on the best dogs on time rating outside of the top sixteen in the state and their will be four heats on Thursday. Colonel Trigger will step out for the first time over the 530m at Angle Park in the third heat of the ‘Inferno’ and will be looking to break through for a deserving win, after maintaining some super consistent form in recent times. Trained by Raymond Barkla, he will return to Angle Park after some recent Murray Bridge runs. The job has been made slightly easier with a good draw in box two, but he will have to produce something that is not easy to do, having never trialled or raced out of the 530m boxes at Angle Park.
“He’s been unlucky. I’ve taken him to Murray Bridge four times, the first time he was unlucky, the second time he couldn’t get a look in when he went up to join the leaders. Then he ran third and last week he was unlucky.” Said Barkla
“He’s a big dog, 35-36 kg.”
“He’s got a good box draw. Benny Rawlings' dog (Mr. Ticket) is not a bad dog.”
“It’s the first time he’s been over the distance, we just thought we would put him in and give it a try.”
Best Bet: Elegant Bix (Race 12, Number 4)
Value Bet: Man Of Substance (Race 1, Number 8)