Class run in blanket finish

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2019 themercury.com.au SUBSCRIPTIONS 1300 696 397 THE depth of talent in Tasmania’s young greyhound ranks was confirmed in Hobart on Thursday night with the Hobart Greyhound Racing Club Breeders Classic final delivering a blanket finish.

The Ted Medhurst-trained Fabulous Baroque won but by the barest of margins over the Debbie Cannan-trained Strada with Silver Man and Connected close up.

Very little separated five of the eight finalists on times recorded in their semi-finals and they all delivered on that form in the final. Even the fifthplaced Twisted Reality ($4) recorded the fastest final sectional (run home) time.

At the elite level it is usually the ones that get the favours in the run who win but in this final the result relied more on talent and courage.

Fabulous Baroque ($13) is a keen railer, so drawing box seven was not in his favour, while Strada, which drew the outside box (8), was sent around the favourite because of her brilliant early speed and sound track sense.

Strada ($2.80) hit the ground running when the lids flew open, but so did Fabulous Baroque and the latter was able to cross to the rail and hold the lead, which meant it was always going to be a test of courage and stamina in the run to the line.

Fabulous Baroque held a half-length advantage as they entered the home straight, but when Strada moved alongside to issue her challenge she looked set to win.

But Fabulous Baroque kept digging deep and while Strada was called the winner it was fabulous Baroque that had his nose out where it counted to gain the judge’s decision with the winner running the 461m trip in 25.82sec.

Silver Man (3.50) was a neck behind the winner to place third but had he been able to secure a gap 50m out he could have won. Connected ($9.50) finished fourth but inside a length of the winner.

The winner is owned by John Tindall, a long-time devotee of the Ted Medhurst kennel. Fabulous Baroque was bred by the Tindall family in Victoria, being by Fabregas from the Tindalls’ handy broodbitch Stayers Inn, which did most of her racing in Tasmania in Medhurst’s care.

Stayers Inn was a well-performed race bitch, winning 13 and placing 12 times from 37 starts. The second, third and fourth placegetters in the Breeders Classic final are from the Fernando Bale-Keune litter. Keune was a sensational sprinter by Barcia Bale from Miss Roman Nose which won 20 and placed nine times from 47 starts for almost $80,000 in stakes.

Keune was from a brilliant litter bred in Tasmania by Terry and Betty Penny.

While Fabulous Baroque’s time of 25.82 was excellent for a 21-month-old pup, Medhurst’s other youngster Stanley Gordon, which turns two next month, sizzled over the 461m in an invitation grade race on Thursday night in a slick 25.56, which was only .07 off Despacito’s track record of 25.49 set in March this year.