Wheeler Qualifies Five For 2015 Silver Chief Final
THE first Group One race of 2015 is set to be a cracker after four semi-finals of the Silver Chief Classic were run and won over 525 metres at The Meadows tonight.
The final, which will be held next Saturday, is set to be a ‘Wheeler' affair with five of the eight finalists coming from the legendary racing dynasty.
Time honours went to Dyna Double One, owned by Brendan Wheeler, which stamped itself as a genuine star of the sport, running an amazing 29.52 in the third semi. Winning his fourth race from as many starts, the son of Barcia Bale and Crystin Bale began evenly from box five, quickly mustering speed and motoring away to score by 11 lengths over Amaro Bale.
Melbourne Cup hero Dyna Villa, another owned by Brendan Wheeler, was an emphatic winner of the second semi-final for Jenny Hunt, clocking an airborne 29.74. The dynamic black chaser used his inside draw perfectly, exploding from box two and railing beautifully around the first turn. Once racing in the front, the son of Collision and Roxio Bale was never in danger as he streaked clear to score his 17th career victory at his 27th start over a Emrys which ran a terrific second to book his spot in next week's decider.
Paul Wheeler claimed the first semi-final of the night, with the Steve Collins-trained Gorham Bale recovering from a slow beginning to rail through and assume the lead on the first turn after many of the frontrunners found trouble. The interference enabled Gorham Bale to slip clear, defeating Dyna Quirk by just under four lengths in 30.16.
The fourth and final semi-final was taken out by Above All for Rob Britton. Despite only beginning averagely from box two, he raced with plenty of field sense to get into second position around the first turn before railing underneath the leader, Midnight Flynn, down the back and racing clear. The 2014 Hobart Thousand victor recorded a hot 29.76, bringing his record to 15 starts for nine wins and three seconds
Silver Chief Classic
Box 1 – Dyna Villa – Jenny Hunt
Box 2 – Emerys – Mario Briganti
Box 3 – Dyna Double One – Andrea Dailly
Box 4 – Dyna Quirk – Andrea Dailly
Box 5 – Above All – Robert Britton
Box 6 – Amaro Bale – Jenny Hunt
Box 7 – Midnight Flynn – Michael Carter
Box 8 – Gorham Bale – Steve Collins
Reserves
Dyna Yemen – Andrea Dailly Dyna Vikkers – Andrea Dailly
DDO!
Wheeler
DDO!
Wheeler