Lilley Criminal’s Record Breaking Newcastle Cup Win
Starting $2.90 favourite from her box 4 draw, the Anthony Azzopardi trained daughter of Hallucinate and Que Dee Tee led from start to finish beating Calhoun Park by 1.5 lengths with Felicity Lane a further 3.75 lengths away in third.
Lilley Criminal had put the writing on the wall one week earlier with an impressive return to form, running 42.36 on a rain affected track to easily win the quicker of the two Newcastle Cup heats to qualify for the final.
Last night’s Group 3 record breaking win was a welcome return to former glory for new trainer Anthony Azzopardi, who was giving Lilley Criminal just her third start since taking over training duties from Victorian greyhound trainer Peter Wishart.
During her tenure with Wishart, Lilley Criminal had shown glimpses of her ability winning a heat of the Victorian National Distance Championship beating Sky Hazzard and running down subsequent National Distance Champion, Mantra Lad in the best of the night.
Owned by the Bigger Then Life Australia Syndicate, Lilley Criminal ran The Gardens 715 metre journey in a new track record time of 41.96, taking 0.06 off Miagi’s previous record of 42.02 set in the heats of the same race last year. Lilley Criminals run was set up off a spectacular 15.75 first sectional run that was just 0.13 off the 272m Gardens track record of 15.62 held by Ourboy Slatts.
Lilley Criminal’s $15,000 to the winner Group 3 Homeland Security Newcastle Cup win was the first group win of her career and took her overall record to 18 wins with 8 placings from 41 starts for prizemoney earnings of $57,588.
It is highly likely her astute trainer will now set Lilley Criminal for Group 2 Summer Cup at Wentworth Park in November.