Simon too hot in final
Fast start key to victory
LITTLE River trainer David Burnett was on a high after Australian Greyhound of the Year Simon Told Helen was a brilliant all-the-way winner of the Group 2 Beckley Centre Geelong Gold Cup final on Friday night in wet conditions.
The decision to move the Cup distance to 520m paid off for the Geelong Greyhound Racing Club, with the starstudded field labelled by many the best in the race’s history.
Betting was dominated by the “fab four” in $3.10 favourite Shima Shine, $4 pops Simon Told Helen and Catch The Thief, and fastest heat winner Tiggerlong Tonk at $5.70.
Drawn in box seven, Simon Told Helen quickly allayed Burnett’s concerns about the rain-affected surface and wide alley, showing his trademark early pace to cross to the lead in the run to the first turn.
The flying frontrunner then opened up a decisive mid-race advantage and kept going strongly to defeat Bobby The Brute by a length in 29.98s, with Tiggerlong Tonk third.
“I was far from confident,” Burnett said.
“He’s had three runs on wet tracks. In the Silver Bullet at The Meadows last year he led by 15 lengths and got run down and in his two runs at Warrnambool during the Cup series when he ran second, so I was petrified tonight
“But to the dog’s credit, he just does everything he needs to do. The field tonight was just sensational and to get across them was terrific.
“We knew he had to find three or four lengths down the back to hold them off and luckily he was that far in front.”
It was Simon Told Helen’s 23rd win from 38 starts, his eighth victory at Group level and his first country cup, while the $50,000 winner’s purse took his career earnings to almost $700,000.
“I’m still shaking my head,” Burnett said.
“It’s his eighth Group race in 12 months, he just keeps buttering up each week in heats and finals it is just a credit to the dog.
“He’s got that want, need and desire to chase. He’s just a true race dog.”
Earlier in the night highprofile local trainers won the Geelong Derby and Oaks finals.
Angela Langton trained the quinella in the Derby, with Super Zoom Jake outpointing $2.20 favourite Mr Fix It in 25.98s, while Andrea Dailly also celebrated a one/two finish in the Oaks with Surella Bale downing Gypsy Zelda in 25.94s.