Launceston Cup Review
Radley Bale wins the Launceston Cup
CHAMPION Victorian-trained sprinter Radley Bale showed why he is rated in the top two greyhounds in the country with a brilliant all-the-way win in last night's Tasracing Launceston Cup at Mowbray.
The $40,000 first prizemoney took Radley Bale's career earnings to almost $500,000. He will get several chances to surpass that magical figure in the next two months before being retired to stud.
Radley Bale, the $1.70 favourite, jumped straight to the front from box 3 and never looked in any danger. He scored by more than four lengths from locally-trained runners Lika Whisper ($10.00) and Classic Camdale ($12.00). Radley Bale is prepared by Victorian Hall Of Fame trainer Graeme Bate, who also won the race in 2006 with Wongawillicath. Bate was unable to attend the meeting as he goes into hospital today for a knee replacement.
His travelling foreman Rob Camilleri said that Radley Bale would be in action again on Saturday night when he will start from box 2 in the group 1 The Temlee at The Meadows in Melbourne. ``He's then got the heats of the Australian Cup and, if he's still going well, he'll try to win his second successive Golden Easter Egg in Sydney,'' Camilleri said. ``That will be the end of his career. He's four now and has been a great dog; a great old warhorse.''
Bate said last week that New South Wales owner Paul Wheeler had already been approached by two top studs keen to secure Radley Bale's services. ``Paul has been talking about retiring him for a while so it's getting close,'' Bate said. ``I'll be disappointed to see him go. ``He's been a top dog for a long period and, if he'd had a bit more luck, he would have won a lot more money than he has. ``He's been narrowly beaten in a lot of group races.'' Radley Bale's time of 29.60 was considerably quicker than his heat (29.91) but that didn't surprise Bate. ``He was having his first start at the track in his heat and he was stargazing a bit,'' the trainer said. ``I thought he had a bit up his sleeve.''
After the placed runners the field finished in the following order 4th Sandbanker ($13.00), 5th Strapper’s Angel ($11.00), 6th New Recruit ($33.00), 7th Max A Zillion ($7.40) and Shanlyn Hirdy ($8.70).
Radley Bale is raced by Paul Wheeler and is trained by Graeme Bate at Lara in Victoria. By Big Daddy Cool from Wheeler’s brood bitch Minkara Bale (Rage Of Fury x Basco Bale). He is a Red Fawn Dog whelped February 2008 he has won 35 of his 97 starts and has been placed on 27 occasions and with the $40,000 first prize for the Launceston Cup it took his current stake earnings to $494,493.
The time-honoured event is one the oldest feature finals in Australia it was first run in 1936 and has no doubt seen its fair share of drama over that long period of time. They have had a dead heat in 1942 and dual winners with Mystery Bridge 75/76 and the mighty Fine Horizon in 1999 and 2000 plus, the 2006 winner a last to first performance by Victorian Wongawillicath, in 2007 the cup was won by Capriccio provided a trifecta for trainer Ted Medhurst. While in 2009 the cup saw a win to dual Tasmanian Greyhound of the Year Big Moose. Last Year the Cup was won by local chaser Fisherman.
The Launceston Club conducted the Cup from 1936 onwards at the old White City complex until the club moved to the new track at Tasman Park in 2005 and Monday night’s Cup was the eighth staged on the circuit located inside the Mowbray Racecourse and Harness track.
