Weblec Ranger too slick in the Murray Bridge Cup
Murray Bridge Cup night promised to be a beauty and it lived right up to the expectations, with a bumper crowd, great weather and terrific racing all helping create a terrific night at the Bridge.
The two straight track races were absolute winners in my eyes. With the sun setting in the background, the two heats were run and it was something we don’t rarely see at the dogs, with the crowd packed in near the finish line. It made for an awesome backdrop! The first heat winner, Man Absconded was excellent in busting up his field by 4 lengths and breaking the 19 second barrier. He’s All Fire was super impressive in winning the second heat holding off the inform Curl’s Victory. The final which will be run next week looks set to be an absolute ripper!
I loved the win of Gemtree Maximus in the short course feature for the night. He’s always had ability but hasn’t been able to put it together in recent times, however the win on Sunday was super classy and a sign of a matured dog. He got posted wide from box 8 and didn’t quite have the zip to get around early. He took his time though and kept working, before shooting back to the inside and running down Classy Chaos in a terrific effort. Well done to Paul and Bec, it would have been a terrific thrill for them!
The 530m feature was taken out by Danyo’s Charlie, who had been in terrific form going into it. He was able to lead but was quickly overtaken by Spring Phoebe, but then Charlie took back the lead before they turned for home. Charlie maintained the lead the rest of the way home, holding off another Spring Phoebe resurgence, who got within half a length. A great run from Danyo’s Charlie and he ran a slick 29.92 in the process.
Dave Peckam claimed the Cup Consolation with Denzell Bale, who is proving to be quite a handy addition to his kennel. It was a really strong field, but Denzell Bale used box 1 to perfection, driving hard to hold the lead and then never leaving the fence as they turned for home. The result was a 25.49 victory, making it an enjoyable drive home for Dave.
Photo: David Peckham receives his trophy
Credit: Iain Bond Photography
Race 8 and the punters got what they came for - The Murray Bridge Cup! It was a really even race in the betting market, with all dogs given a genuine chance of winning the race. Early brilliance proved to be the difference, with Weblec Ranger shooting over from box 8 to find the front. Given he was the quickest heat winner, it was always going to be difficult to run him down. Mr. Ticket and Fantastic Victor landed behind Weblec Ranger in the run and appeared up to the challenge of trying to run him down, but they never really made an impression, as Weblec Ranger claimed the Cup with an explosive effort. A big congratulations to the Britton/Langton training duo but also to Neville Loechel and all the connections, you won’t find a nicer bloke and family in the industry, which makes seeing the Weblec breed achieving success quite enjoyable!
Photo: Neville Loechel with his prized rug
Credit: Iain Bond Photography
A stellar night and a brilliant showcase of the wonderful Murray Bridge Track and the sport of Greyhound Racing!
Dog to follow: Alcheringa Blaze - A really good run over the short trip last night. Jumped well but copped plenty of bother as they hit the turn, before running home really well and taking ground off the hot favourite Aston Bullet. Not sure where he goes now but can happily follow him.