Tomac Bale Flies In To Launching Pad Final In 29.20
Tomac Bale set tongues wagging after stopping the clock in a stunning 29.20 in his heat of the Launching Pad at Sandown Park last night.
At just his fourth career start and first since January, Tomac Bale began like a rocket from box 6 to run the first split in 4.96 second – just half a length outside the record.
From there, it was a case of times and margins as the half brother to Barcia Bale and Princess Bale raced to an 11.5 length win.
Archie Gumballs' star continues to rise, winning his heat in 29.57.
A graduate of the 2012 Ready To Race Auction series, Archie Rumballs will be aiming to give David Burnett his second Launching Pad victory after the Geelong South trainer won the 2008 event with Teaman Titch.
Jason Thompson will launch a two pronged attack on the final after Air Collision and Powerhouse won their heats in 29.41 and 29.53 seconds respectively.
The Launching Pad is one of the few Sandown feature races the AGRA Trainer of the Year has yet to win, however his exciting duo are sure to figure in next week's final after drawing boxes 3 and 4.
Set Sail South provided the most exciting finish of the night, sneaking through on the rail to defeat Check My Swagger by a head.
Queenslander Gate Crash took full advantage of box 1 in his Sandown Park debut, winning in an impressive 29.55 seconds.
Lemoine Bale, a litter mate of Tomac Bale, provided the Dailly kennel with a finalist, while Sweet Shadow provided the upset of the night after saluting at the juicy price of $24.30.
The Lunching Pad, restricted to greyhounds with 1-5 wins and no more than 30 starts, has launched the career of many top greyhounds including Path To Power, Bounty Lass and Traction Control. The final will be run at Group 2 level and carries a $58,000 purse.
The final will be run on the club's Easter Fun Kids Night, starring one of the fastest men in the world, Asafa Powell.