Bate And Dyna Forte Dominate The Darwin Cup Heats
Professional Victorian greyhound trainer Graeme Bate is holding all the cards after last nights running of the 2010 Group 3 Darwin Cup heats.
Bate made the long trip to Darwin's Winellie Park with just two greyhounds, Zambola Bale and Dyna Forte, with both greyhounds drawing off the track in box eight in their respective heats of the Darwin Cup which is worth $20,000 to the final winner.
And the large prize on offer saw half the heats made up of interstate raiders intent on securing the prize, but after last night's heats it looks as though the 2010 Darwin Cup is Bate's to lose.
Zambole Bale set the tone with an all the way win in the opening of the three heats, winning by 2.25 lengths over Uno Zephyr with Oceans Twenty another 2.75 lengths back.
Queenslander Our Movie Star for Reg Hazelgrove secured the second heat in 31.41 beating local hope Not Tomorrow by 2.75 lengths and Victorian Wednesday Beers, just a head away in third.
But the night belonged to Dyna Forte who put on a real performance, sprinting from box eight straight to the lead and highballing out in front, coming away for a dominant 31.24 win over Quenslander Garis Garis who was 6 lengths in arrears and a further 7.25 lengths back to Vapour's Fantasy. The run was just .02 of a second outside Queen Lauryn's 31.22 track record set in last years Darwin Cup series.
The box draw for the $20,000 to the winner final was conducted trackside after the heats and has seen Bate draw box five with Dyna Forte, while Zambola Bale has drawn favourably in box seven.
The other heat winner, Our Movie Star has drawn out in box eight.