One Down, One To Go For Borat
He's claimed one, now Sydney trainer John Carruthers wants the Canberra Greyhound Club's second feature race the Canberra Cup with his consistent dog Borat.
Borat won Sunday's $11,500 National Capital Distance Championship and Carruthers wasted little time in declaring his intention of making it back-to-back feature wins.
”We'll be back for the Cup, all going well,” he said yesterday.
”It's a sought-after race, a race some very good dogs have won over the years.
”He's pulled up OK from Sunday and as long as he stays sound between now and then, he'll be set for it.”
The $15,000 Canberra Cup will be run on September 14. The heats are a week earlier.
Borat's 214-length victory over Bo Frazier and Eluthra on Sunday night came as little surprise to Carruthers, who has always had a strong opinion of the Group1 winner.
From box three Borat jumped to the lead and was never headed.
”While I was probably more hoping than expecting a victory, I was fairly confident that no dog could run him down in the race if he jumped and led,” Carruthers said.
”That was probably the same for four or five dogs in the race, that if they led it was unlikely they would be run down, so it was nice that my bloke started well.”
Borat will race again tomorrow in the Gold Coast Cup heats. If he wins his heat, he will progress to Sunday's final, and then the focus will switch to Canberra.
The National Capital Distance Championship meeting was almost cancelled following heavy rain in Canberra.
A track inspection prior to the first race convinced chief steward Steve Howard the track was in adequate condition for racing.
Club spokesperson Ellen Dwyer admitted if the rain had begun earlier then the meeting would have more than likely been called off.
”You're not allowed to race if there are puddles on the track but thankfully our track can take a lot of rain and it held up really well,” she said.
The next Canberra greyhound meeting is on August 10.
Courtesy : Peter Fitzgerald, The Canberra Times