Bullock Qualifies Three For The Devonport Cup Final
Exeter based mentor Anthony Bullock has qualified three of his team for the $35,700 Dowling McCarthy Hankook Tyres Devonport Cup Final (452 metres), to be conducted at the Devonport Raceway on Tuesday afternoon.
Bullock won heats of the Group 3 event with litter mates Hellyeah Missile and Hellyeah Bolt, and also qualified former Queensland chaser Are Ate, which ran second to Jeff The Tipster from the Russell Watts kennel.
Bullock has enjoyed great success since returning from an enforced spell on the sidelines and would dearly love to win a Devonport Cup, which has so far eluded him.
He is more than happy with the box draw for the rich event, with Hellyeah Missile and Hellyeah Bolt drawing alongside each other in boxes 1 and 2, and the speedy Are Ate drawing out in box 7.
“Are Ate will lead this field for sure, and the Hellyeah dogs will be in the firing line behind him.” Bullock explained on Wednesday.
“Whatever happens next is in the lap of the gods, but all I know is that I have a great chance of winning my first Devonport Cup.”
Both Hellyeah Missile and Hellyeah Bolt are raced by the Hellyeah Syndicate, headed by Rick Donaldson, which originated at the Hellyer mine site located on Tasmania's rugged West Coast.
The latter recorded a time of 25.71 in winning his Cup heat and has now won 13 of 20 lifetime outings and stakes in excess of $38,000.
Hellyeah Bolt's winning heat time was eclipsed only by the Ricky Ponting owned Rumbling Rick, which sped to an impressive 25.57 score at the expense of the Mick Stringer prepared Yappin' Jack, which had led from the outset.
Anthony Bullock has nominated Yappin Jack', which ran third in the recent Group 1 Hobart Thousand, as his main danger in next Tuesday's finale.
Prepared by Launceston's Dale Hammersley, Rumbling Rick has now won 12 of 34 lifetime outings and stakes of almost $40,000. He appears to have benefited greatly from a recent stint in Western Australia.
Hammersley was thrilled that Rumbling Rick was able to chase down Yappin Jack' and has unveiled Launceston Cup plans for the chaser, who has drawn awkwardly in box 5 next Tuesday.
The only interstate greyhound to qualify for the Devonport Cup was the Dave Burnett prepared Archie Gumballs, which recorded a time of 25.74 in defeating Varcoe and last year's winner Allen Benji.
The chaser will no doubt be improved by the outing on the circuit, but has drawn box 4 in the final, making his task a difficult one.
Loira trainer Paul Hili, who transferred to Tasmania from Victoria a couple of years ago, will be represented in the Devonport Cup by the smart chaser Proven Fantasy, who recorded a time of 25.74 in winning his heat from the inside box.
He has now won 12 of 29 lifetime outings and stakes of almost $20,000 and has drawn box 8 on Tuesday afternoon.
2014 DEVONPORT CUP (452 METRES) GROUP 3
1st $25,000 2nd $6,000 3rd $2,800 4th $700
1. Hellyeah Missile (Dyna Lachlan – Flash Diamond) Anthony Bullock
2. Hellyeah Bolt (Dyna Lachlan – Flash Diamond) Anthony Bullock
3. Yappin Jack' ( Aston Galilee – Patsy Anne) Mick Stringer
4. Archie Gumballs (Where's Pedro – Come On Roxy) David Burnett
5. Rumbling Rick (Cosmic Rumble – Ricky's Angel) Dale Hammersley
6. Jeff The Tipster (Mantra Lad – Petal) Russell Watts
7. Are Ate (Lochinvar Marlow – Long Long Mama) Anthony Bullock
8. Proven Fantasy (Premier Fantasy – Proven Polly) Paul Hili
9. An That (Chinatown Lad – Creighton's Star) Em 1 Rodney Campbell
10. Wynburn Wizard (Collide – Hayley's Girl) Em 2 Scott Bryan