Gibbons caps off a good week with Kelsey Bale’s last to first Ballarat Cup win
Victorian greyhound trainer Daniel Gibbons will be encouraged to stay away from the kennels in future after Kelsey Bale produced a stunning last-to-first performance to win last night's (Good Friday) Group 2 Ballarat Cup to complete a stellar week for Giblet Greyhounds.
Gibbon's $50,000 to-the-winner 2023 Ballarat Cup win comes hot on the heels of his $26,000 to-the-winner Group 3 Mt Gambier Cup win last Sunday with Titan Blazer, with both wins coming while the trainer is on holiday with the family in Bali, Indonesia.
But the remarkable remote-distance training performance was overshadowed by the spectacular fashion of Kelsey Bale's victory.
In an era, of country cups being dominated by early speed greyhounds, it is rare for any dog to get near the prize who doesn't race in the first two to the corner.
But last night Kelsey Bale emerged victorious with a stunning performance that left her rivals in awe, and had ‘old-timers' speaking of the greats like Rapid Journey.
Ballarat's feature race was delayed for 35 minutes because of inclement weather but that didn't deter the Gibbons-trained daughter of Feral Franky and Ethla Allen who unleashed a stirring finish from last on the home corner to collar Unleash Collinda late and cross the line first in 25.14.
2023 Group2 Ballarat Cup Final – Kelsey Bale (25.14) T: Daniel Gibbons
Despite being the second fastest qualifier, Kelsey Bale was sent out for the final a +620 chance with greyhound betting apps behind race favourite Shima Dream at +350, with Salad Dodger and Unleash Collinda both starting on the equal second line of greyhound betting at +380.
Kelsey Bale was the only female greyhound in the final, and only the fifth female greyhound in the last twenty years to win the Ballarat Cup.
Previous female winners of the cup include Witch Magic (2006), Greta Bale (2010), Up And Away (2011), and Shared Equity (2015).
Kelsey Bale is a multiple group race winner and placegetter and now adds the Group 2 Ballarat Cup win to her 2022 Group 2 Laurels Classic title at Sandown and her 2022 Group 3 Silver Bullet win at The Meadows.
She has also been twice Group 1 placed in the 2022 Maturity Classic at The Meadows and the 2023 Group 1 Temlee, both times behind Wow She's Fast; and twice placed at Group 3 level with placings in the 2022 Group 3 St Leger at Warragul, and the 2023 Group 3 Perth Cup Consolation.
Of the ten black-type finals Kelsey Bale has made, she has won three and placed four times.
Kelsey Bale has now started 59 times for 19 wins and 23 placings earning connections $292,140 in prizemoney.
Quinlan Bale added the to Gibbons cup haul finishing third collecting $7,085 for his efforts, and adding a Group 2 Ballarat Cup placing to his 2022 Group 2 Bendigo Cup and 2022 Group 2 Healesville Cup placings.
2023 Ballarat Cup
2023 Ballarat Cup ResultsBallarat450mGroup 2$50,000 to-the-winnerFriday April 7 2023Race 87:55pm (AEST)
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| 1st |
7 Kelsey Bale
T: Daniel Gibbons 25.14
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| 2nd |
4 Unleash Collinda
T: Jason Thompson 25.19
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| 3rd |
3 Quinlan Bale
T: Daniel Gibbons 25.23
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| 4th |
8 Shima Dream
T: Tom Dailly 25.27
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| 5th |
5 Shima Shadow
T: Tom Dailly 25.29
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| 6th |
2 Bobby Axelrod
T: Jess Hopkins 25.30
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| 7th |
1 Flying Pie
T: Brad Sands 25.33
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| 8th |
6 Salad Dodger
T: Anthony Azzopardi 25.43
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