Dyna Dean dominates Group 1 Rookie Rebel from start to finish
IN form racer Dyna Dean (Kiowa Mon Manny x Prue Bale Jun ’15) gave husband and wife training team Mark and Lisa Delbridge their first success at the top level when recording an emphatic victory in the Group 1 Rookie Rebel (600m) at The Meadows on Saturday night.
Coming up against a cracking field, Dyna Dean was sent to the boxes as a $12 shot off box four, despite having won four of his past six starts over the middle distance coming into the race.
When the lids flew open Dyna Dean made it a one act affair, racing straight to the front and leading all the way to defeat Chasin Crackers (Fabregas x Lady Arko Aug ’15) by 3.87 lengths in a handy 34.31.
Roughie Where Art Thou (Where’s Pedro x Amnesia Mar ’14) flashed home to grab third for Steve White and Kayla Coleman.
Delbridge said while he wasn’t thrilled with the box draw, he knew his chaser would be hard to beat once he got away well.
“First group [one] winner – it’s unbelievable,” the Balliang trained said.
“Once he began [well] it was going to be hard for him to get beat.
“He can run… he is a big gun.”
While it was the first group 1 win for team Delbridge, it was the second time they have won the Rookie Rebel. The pair also trained former top chaser Flash Of Light (Premier Fantasy x Trendy La Maze Dec ’06) to win the invitation-only event back in 2010 when it carried group 2 status.
While she failed to win a group 1, Flash Of Light was one of the most talented greyhounds of her era, winning 32 races from 76 starts with over $261,000 in the bank.
Dyna Dean has a long way to go to live up to the former Delbridge-trained star, but he is on the right track, having now won 17 races and has pocketed close to $140,000.
The black dog is owned and bred by the Wheeler family who also took out the Group 1 Zoom Top on Saturday night with their champion racer Fanta Bale.
Dyna Dean will now drop back in distance to the 525m trip for the heats of the Group 1 Australian Cup at The Meadows next Saturday night.
While the drop back to the sprint may not seem ideal, Dyna Dean is sure to be in the mix with a sizzling 29.87 personal best to his name.
If he is able to make the final, the youngster will be aiming to emulate the feat of Fanta Bale who took out the Rookie Rebel in 2017 before claiming the Australian Cup from box eight a fortnight later.
2018 Group 1 Rookie Rebel results
1st – Dyna Dean (4) – Mark Delbridge – $12
2nd – Chasin’ Crackers (1) – Glenn Rounds – $2.40
3rd – Where Art Thou (6) – Steve White – $45.80
4th – Extreme Magic (7) – Seona Thompson – $3.70
5th – Henry (2) – Ben Divirgilio – $15.10
6th – Hecton Bale (3) – Andrea Dailly – $4.80
7th – Royal Intention (5) – Diane O’Neill – $26.70
8th – Brueghelino (8) – Des Douch – $12.40
Margins: 3.87 x 2.8
Time: 34.58
1st section: 8.89
2nd section: 21.85