Sale hosted a huge night of greyhound racing last Sunday, highlighted by four heats of the club’s premier event, the Group 1 Sale Cup over 640 metres.
The Sale Cup final will be run this Saturday night, with the winner set to pocket $75,000. As expected, the heats attracted many of Australia’s leading middle-distance chasers, with only the first two finishers in each heat qualifying for the final.
Heat one saw Fade To Black ($2.30), trained by Kayla Cottrell, lead throughout to defeat Pass Mark by five-and-a-half lengths in a time of 36.44.
In heat two, Caco Magic ($2.10), fresh from breaking the 600-metre track record at The Meadows, produced another all-the-way performance for trainer Stefano Casser, defeating Panama Rhode by five lengths in 36.32.
Local supporters were in full voice during heat three, with Metung trainer Harley Whelan scoring a popular victory with outsider Ascend Geranium ($15). Hugging the rail and avoiding early interference, Ascend Geranium ran down leader Stomping ($3.40) to win by three-and-a-half lengths in 36.68, the slowest of the four heats.
The fourth and final heat lived up to expectations, with star stayer Without A Trace taking on Tim Zoo and Paw Ike. Trained by Peter Presutto, Without A Trace ($1.60) proved too strong late, defeating Texas President ($19.80) by one-and-a-half lengths in 36.25, the quickest heat of the night. Champion chaser Tim Zoo ($2.70) finished fourth after racing close to the speed but weakening in the straight.
Following the box draw, bookmakers have narrowed the Sale Cup to four leading chances. Without A Trace ($2.20) heads the market from box seven, while Texas President (box one) and Caco Magic (box three) share equal second favouritism at $4.40. Fade To Black, drawn in box six, is rated a $6 chance.
Much will depend on how the field negotiates the first turn and which runners avoid interference. A trouble-free contest could produce a high-speed match race between Caco Magic and Without A Trace, though both will need luck in running.
The support program included two heats of the Sprint Championship (435 metres), with a $20,000 first prize on offer in Saturday night’s final.
The opening sprint heat was taken out by Heavy Haulage ($7.50) for trainer Anthony Azzopardi, scoring a strong all-the-way victory over Aston Renminbi ($4.40) by just over a length in a slick 24.05. Third-placed It’s Mikado Time ($6.80) and fourth-placed Giacomo also qualified for the final.
The second heat was dominated by last month’s Melbourne Cup finalist Intrepidus ($4.30), who flew the lids and led throughout to win by seven lengths in the fastest time of the night, 23.97. Carry On Maci ($11.80), Galento ($9) and Thunder Rose also progressed to the final.
The box draw has added further intrigue, with the two standout chances, Intrepidus and Heavy Haulage, drawing box six and box one respectively. With his exceptional early speed, Intrepidus is expected to cross early, while the key question will be whether Heavy Haulage can improve on last week’s run and run him down with a clear passage.
Elsewhere on the program, Irish Bill ($1.20) continued his strong form at Sale, recording his third consecutive win in the mixed grade over 510 metres in a quick 28.66. He comfortably held off the fast-finishing He Shines ($19.70) and Aston Eleni ($8.50).
All roads now lead to Sale Greyhounds on Saturday night for another enthralling edition of the time-honoured Sale Cup, supported by a strong undercard including the James Yeates Printing Rising Star final and the Sprint Championship.
It promises to be a huge night both on and off the track, with strong local interest across all finals.
