Mobile Legend set for Traralgon Cup assault after Warragul win
Colin Brennan believes Mobile Legend is set for a Traralgon Cup assault after his classy Warragul Cup victory last Friday night.
Starting from the No.3 box with healthy winning odds of $5.50, the three-year-old was not headed after he hit the front before the turn in the 460m Group 2 feature worth $74,335, saluting in a race-record time of 25.32 seconds.
And with four victories from his past five starts, Brennan and his brother Daryl believe their still-maturing sprinter will also be tough to beat in the third event of the Gippsland Festival of Racing.
The Traralgon Cup heats are this Friday night.
“He's definitely on track for the Traralgon Cup, even though he hasn't yet seen the track – it's silly to bypass it when he's hitting his straps,” Brennan told Australian Racing Greyhound after Mobile Legend's Warragul Cup triumph.
“He's just doing everything right. We couldn't be happier with the dog at the moment.”
2023 Warragul Cup Final replay – Mobile Legend (1st)
Despite not having a previous start at Traralgon, Brennan said Mobile Legend had all the attributes to again be thereabouts come final night in the Group 2 event over 450m on Australia Day.
“I think the track set-up there will suit his style of racing because he's got that tremendous mid-race pace and he can finish off the race,” he said.
“So he'll have room to move and stretch out. We'll tackle that and go from there.
“But at this stage it looks like he's pulled up fantastic.”
Brennan said Mobile Legend might have surprised some punters with the ease of his 2 ¼-length triumph in the Warragul Cup, but he and Daryl always had faith.
The Ballarat-based conditioner told this publication before the race that his sprinter had been “trialing the house down, matured over the past six weeks and was running unbelievable times”.
And after sitting off early leader Landyn Bale's tail, Brennan knew his runner had the smarts to prevail over the short distance from there.
“Over the moon. It all went to plan and we couldn't be happier, to be honest,” he said.
“He did everything right. We planned out the race the way it ran and that was what happened.
“I'm surprised his price blew out because he ended up being $5.50.
“I knew he'd begin well because he's been nailing his start.
“When you know you've got the goods behind you and everything behind the scenes has been planned, you've got to be confident in your training ability and the dog's ability.”
As well as the race nous the 33-start chaser with 15 wins displayed, he also showed his toughness to push past a little early exchange with Dynamic Prince, who ended up finishing seventh from the No.4 box.
“He did get a little bit of interference with Dynamic Prince, and he caused it to go back through the field,” Brennan said.
“And he got a couple of spike wounds from that.
“Once I saw the check I was a bit worried at one stage, but he jumped out with them.
“It was only a minor scrape. There was no lameness and there was just a little nick there.
“Nothing serious at all. He's pulled up a treat after some routine icing and massaging.”
After overcoming a setback where he blew out his right tonsil, followed by a bruised hock last year, Brennan said Mobile Legend could be in for a big 2023.
“If he was jumping like this at the start of his career, he probably would've gone a lot better through the Launching Pad series that we put him through,” he said.
“I'm assuming it's maturity, but he's nailing it. He's just putting himself in the race, and that's what he needs to do.”