Nellie Noodles Swoops Home In BGRC Cup
“Adpoted” Queenslander Nellie Noodles ($1.90) came from last with a lap to go to win the Group 1 Albion Park Gold Cup (710m) on Thursday night.
Bred and raced by former Queenslander Helen Ivers and trained in Victoria by Robbie Britton, Nellie Noodles got up to win by a length in 41.84.
She downed local star Dashing Corsair ($2.30) with a half length to Blue Lorian ($31.00) in third.
The bitch is unbeaten in four starts at Albion Park winning heat and final of the Winter Chase and heat and final of the Gold Cup.
A daughter of US sire Flying Penske, Nellie Noodles’ dam Classy Creek is the former Gold Coast track record holder who raced all her career in Queensland.
Britton was always confident of his bitch’s devastating finishing burst.
“On the home turn I was very confident she could win,” said Britton.
But he was amazed the bitch began so well and instantly he thought how far would she win the final by.
Just as those thoughts entered his mind, Nellie Noodles was checked out of the race at the first turn dropping back to a clear last where she stayed until entering the back straight.
Dashing Corsair was not as well away as expected and suffered a slight check at the first turn as well. It took him a long time to get to the lead and he then fought off a challenge from Blue Lorian to lead into the straight.
But Nellie Noodles by then had the sitting shot on the leaders and she rattled home to win.
Britton said his bitch deserved a Group 1 victory.
“Helen rang me yesterday to wish us luck and I said to her Nellie Noodles deserved to win a Group 1 race,” said Britton.
“Helen said if it wasn’t this one it might be the next.”
Nellie Noodles was sent to Britton to train simply as a companion for her litter brother Symmetry.
“Helen rang and asked if I wanted to train Symmetry who was already winning in NSW,” said Robbie.
“She sent this bitch along with her.”
Britton was staggered at Nellie Noodles’ second trial for him. “She ran 34.20 at The Meadows and came home in 12.07,” he said. “Symmetry trialled straight after her and came home in 12.59. The guy working the boxes that day said the final section timer must have mistimed.
“I went home thinking the times were wrong.”
Britton then took Nellie Noodles to Geelong to win a maiden by 19 lengths. Her trial on the track before the race was just off the track record.
Since then Nellie Noodles has run two track records … and now a Group 1 Albion Park Cup.
Helen Ivers had already won the Cup with her former champion stayer Trojan Tears.
After the placed runners the field finished in the following order 4th Jarvis Bale ($9.00), 5th Allen Zander ($41.00), 6th Countess Of Cork ($21.00) 7th Allen Shaul ($26.00) and Reign Over Me ($21.00).
Nellie Noodles is Black Bitch whelped March ’07 she is by Flying Penske from Classy Creek (Rapid
Journey x Sheza Swifty). Her current record stands at 15 starts for nine wins and two placings, with
the $50,000 first prize for the Gold Cup it took her prizemoney earnings to $71,070. She is raced by the Helen Ivers and trained by Robert Britton at Lara in Victoria.
The Gold Cup was first run at Gabba in 1974 and was known as the Gabba Gold Cup until 1980 when sponsored by SGIO for a year and by Woolworths of another year. It went back to the Gabba Gold Cup until 1988 when the race became the FAI Gold Cup for four years. It changed to the Albion Park Gold Cup when racing transferred there in 1993. VIP Petfoods then sponsored the race from 2002 until last year when by current sponsor Cartwright Property Group came on board. It has been won by some champion stayers over the year’s Dotie Wilson the only dog to win it twice in 75 and 76.
BGRC Albion Park Gold Cup Honour Roll
Thanks for content used in above release David Brasch Queensland GRA Website