Valhalla extends winning run in Wayne Harris Appreciation Final
Valhalla showed he is a star chaser in the making on Sunday, winning the Wayne Harris Appreciation Final at Capalaba in dominant fashion.
Jumping from the pink box for the third-straight run, he ran on to win by five lengths in the final — showing how much he relishes the wide draw and open air.
That also made it a third consecutive win for the Jedda Cutlack-trained dog (14: 4-2-3).
“Very pleased with him,” Cutlack said following the win.
“He's really settled into the track and loving it there.
“We have always had an opinion of the dog, and long-term over the distance on the circle I believe he will shine.
“In the near future, we are hopeful that the selection panel will consider him for the Queensland side for Straight of Origin given how strongly he has been performing there.”
He started as a $2.50 favourite with betting sites and showed why, beginning fast out wide and crossing to the centre for a clear path through with Magistrate ($5.50) chasing the leader but finishing second.
Magistrate's trainer, Greg Stella, was wary of Valhalla going into the final but was confident of his consistent dog, who has 14 wins from 24 starts.
“Happy with his run and he jumped well,” Stella said.
“There was a bit of a head wind yesterday so times were slower.
“The winner was outstanding once again.”
Magistrate won a Group 3 at Ipswich and a Group 3 heat at Albion Park earlier this month, both over 520m, showing he appreciates the step up in distance.
“We will now head to Albion Park on Thursday week for a heat of the Flying Amy,” Stella added.
Borneo Brave, trained by Jason Schmidt, finished third after winning his heat in 19.60, bringing an end to his undefeated record.
2023 Wayne Harris Appreciation Final replay
Winner: Valhalla (19.68s)