Slick Lee Snares Betfair Wentworth Park Gold Cup
There are no certainties in greyhound racing.
Following last week's sizzling 42.28 Betfair Gold Cup heat win, Queenslander Dashing Corsair was all the rage in Saturday's (March 26) Group 2 Final (720m) at Wentworth Park.
Having drawn the red box, Dashing Corsair started pronounced $1.50 favourite and after jumping well, supporters would have been forgiven for thinking they were home and hosed.
Enter Slick Lee and trainer Keith Pedrana to rain on the parade.
As the skies opened and let out a light shower it was the son of champion Brett Lee which finished the better to record a 42.43 win and pocket a cool $25,000.
“He's a chaser, he's never been a great beginner, he needs to sit behind something and then run on.
“And that's what he did,” Pedrana said.
Slick Lee's inside draw and good beginning meant he was able to time his run to perfection, a pleasing sign for Pedrana.
“If he jumps out and leads from now on he will be hard to beat in anything he contests.”
Betfair's Hugh Taggart said oncourse support for Dashing Corsair was mirrored on their site, with a strong amount of international backing for the Queensland stayer.
“Customers from more than 20 countries backed Dashing Corsair into $1.76 favourtism,” Taggart said.
Favourite punters were left to lick their wounds in the wake of the 1 ½ length defeat.
The eventual winner returning $17.70 on course, while selected Betfair members were able to fair better according to officials.
“Slick Lee also had its friends. Backed in from as high as $40 early in betting, Slick Lee firmed into $23 and caused a well deserved boil over,” Taggart added.
Saturday's Betfair Gold Cup served as a strong lead into next month's Globe Memorial Easter Chase.
Heats of the Group Two event will be conducted on Saturday April 16 in conjunction with the Macro Meats Golden Easter Egg Semi-Finals and Multiquip Western Districts Cup Final.