Kelsey Bale eyes Brisbane Cup after Prelude glory
Brisbane Cup glory is the next target for star bitch Kelsey Bale after she flew home in the Listed Brisbane Cup Prelude on Thursday night, proving her mettle against any opponent.
Hunting wide from the pink box she stormed over the top of race favourite Bear’s Bullet ($2.50 with greyhound betting sites) to win the $16,000 to the winner feature on Origin Series night, paying $3.80.
With the win, the Danny Gibbons trained chaser broke her Albion Park best time (30.01) in 29.66 in a performance that shocked her trainer.
“I don’t know how she does it,” he said.
“Down the back, I knew she would catch the 3 (Umberto) but didn’t for a second think she would get the red (Bear’s Bullet).
“Let alone put a length or two on it.
“We flew up this morning (Thursday) and it’s been a pretty chilled day.
“She just slept on the bed in the hotel room with me all day.
“Then she comes out and does that.”
The Feral Franky x Ethla Allen bitch has forged a strong record of 68 starts for 23 wins, 28 placings, and $462,290 in prize money.
Kelsey Bale is a five-time group feature winner and is the reigning Country Cups Queen with wins in the Geelong, Ballarat, and Warrnambool Cups in the last three months.
Gibbons is open when he speaks about wanting to keep travel to the minimum as he told Australian Racing Greyhound last month.
“If she does go up there, I’ll be just flying up for the day, staying in a hotel, and we will be coming straight back home,” he said.
“The least time she spends away from her kennel, her bed, and her routine, I think is the best for her.”
The $1 million Group 1 Brisbane Cup is next for Kelsey Bale and she will be prepared for the heats on June 29, with a return home first, as Gibbons confirmed.
“She will have an easy week and then we will fly back up for the heats,” he said.
“The heats are gonna be very hard that’s all I know, there are so many good dogs around at the moment.”
Kelsey Bale is paying $12 with online bookmakers to win the Brisbane Cup on July 7, and is at $15 to win the Group One Melbourne Cup in November.