Butters Pegs Hopes On A Giacinta Upset At Ballarat
Trainer Keith Butters will be hoping to upset the favored runners with his chaser Giacinta in the Fletcher Jones Grade 5 at Ballarat on Wednesday night.
Butters is realistic about his chances, but also hopeful that the honest little chaser can get a deserved big race win.
“She developed pneumonia earlier this year and we nearly lost her. To come back from that shows how much heart she has got.” Butters said.
In her first run back after three months off racing, Giacinta led all of the way at Ballarat to run an impressive 25.41 seconds over tonight’s race distance.
If she can reproduce that run she will certainly be in with a chance in the final.
Giacinta was educated at Ballarat after she was broken in, and has a knack of saving her best races when she runs at the track.
“She seems to find another leg when she runs at Ballarat, so she is a definite each way chance if things go her way in the final.”
Giacinta has drawn awkwardly though for the final in Box 4.
She has found trouble in a number of her races of late, but came out running last week and ran a close up second to Sheoak Boxer.
“She is generally a good box dog, but has been plagued by some bad box draws and checks in her races.”
“I would have liked to have drawn closer to the rails, but if she can come out running and stay out of trouble early anything can happen.”
Butters rates the Jason Thompson pair of Skaise and Sheoak Boxer as the ones to beat in the final to be run over 450 metres.
Skaise was ultra impressive in his first run for the Thompson kennel last week, when he led from start to finish in the “best of the night” run.
Skaise will jump from inside Giacinta in Box 2.
Sheoak Boxer also led all of the way last week to qualify for the final, but has drawn awkwardly in Box 6.