Tassie hopes ready to roll

Hello Rhonda and Bronelly Jacob both draw well for WA finals

TASMANIA’S representatives in the National Sprint and Distance Championship finals to be held in Perth at the end of the month have both drawn the coveted inside box.

Hello Rhonda, prepared by Robin Grubb, has an impeccable record from the draw and will relish box one in the sprint final, while the Anthony Bullock-trained Bronelly Jacob will wear the red vest in the distance final.

Bronelly Jacob is a frontrunning stayer who delivered a career-best effort from box one to win last week’s state final in Launceston and qualified for a trip to WA for the finals, which will be run on the Cannington track on August 24. Hello Rhonda scored an emphatic win in the state sprint final over 515m last Thursday, winning by a half-length to Be Like Bill who tracked the favourite throughout.

Hello Rhonda, bred by her trainer and his father Robert Grubb, is the state’s in-form sprinter, with her record of 16 wins and 14 minor placings from 35 career starts in Tasmania an indication of her ability. Of her 35 starts, Hello Rhonda (Fernando Bale-Sing the Song) has started from box one six times for three wins and as many seconds, though her litter sister Peco Can, with 24 wins and four minor placings from 31 starts, is considered the pick of the litter.

“She goes into this Group 1 championship final in great form, so we just have to hope she travels well and if she is right on the night I have no doubt she will be very competitive, especially from box one,” Grubb said.

Bronelly Jacob is new to the staying game, with last week’s state final only his second attempt beyond 600m.

The dog, by Kayda Shae from Taste Da Rainbow, was bred in Victoria by Matthew Nash and after only three starts in his home state he ended up in Bullock’s kennel in late March. He had a halfdozen starts before stringing two wins together in April over sprint distances.

After winning a grade 5 event over 580m in Devonport last month, Bullock knew he had a potential stayer in his midst.

But stepping up to a Group 1 national final on the other side of the country is a big ask for a dog with seven lifetime wins from 29 starts.

“This dog is only 27 months old and he’s come a long way in a short time, so there’s no doubt he is going to be a much better dog in a year’s time,” Bullock said. “He’s up against a couple of exceptional stayers in this championship final, but he has drawn his box and he is in good form, so we will be hoping for the best.”

Bookmakers are offering $71 about Bronelly Jacob winning the distance final, while $31 is being offered on Hello Rhonda taking out the sprint final.

Both dogs fly to WA on Friday and they are to be kennelled with former Tasmanian Ray Smithton, who has a property about 50 minutes’ drive from the Cannington track.

Hello Rhonda and Bronelly Jacob are booked in to trial at Cannington tomorrow week.