Unlawful Entry breaks Bekim Bale’s Sandown Park 515m record
UNLAWFUL Entry stunned racegoers at Sandown Park on Thursday night, breaking Bekim Bale's four-year-old track record over the 515m sprint.
Exploding from the boxes for the first time in its 31 start career, Unlawful Entry went straight to the early lead from the one and quickly set up a gap on his rivals. On the back turn the brindle and white powerhouse was in a race of his own, surging around the final bend a mile in front and racing to the line in a sizzling 28.95.
Co-trainer Kelly Bravo told Australian Racing Greyhound she knew the son of Knocka Norris and She Ain't Late was capable of running quick times, but she was shocked to see him in front early.
“I won't say I wasn't surprised to see him break the record – but I was definitely more surprised to see him jump to the front,” she said.
“Once he jumped I thought to myself he will probably go close to breaking 29.
“When I looked at the clock I thought it said 29.35 and I thought ‘gee he has run home slow'.
“Then I heard the race caller say he had broken the track record.”
Unlawful Entry was purchased by Kelly and her husband Brett and is owned by their daughter Bronte. The 31 kilogram sprinter was acquired for $15,000 with the modest record of 10 starts for three wins and three minor placings and has since gone on to win 11 of 21 starts under the Bravo's care.
Among those victories was a sensational win in the Group 1 Hobart Thousand and the Group 2 Great Chase, with $218,915 won in prize money earnings throughout his career.
Despite having proven himself capable of matching times with the best chasers in the sport, the Bravos opted not to pursue the Group 1 Golden Easter Egg heats at Wentworth Park last weekend and will instead focus on having him right for the Speed Star series in May.
“We thought he would probably find too much trouble in Sydney so we decided not to go up for the Egg,” Bravo said.
“He is definitely fast enough, but with his racing pattern you just don't know what he was going to do and we didn't want to risk him getting hurt.
“That time at Sandown will see him get into the Speed Star series which is good because he isn't the best trial dog and I don't know how he would have gone trialling on his own to get into it.”
The Bravos will also be aiming to have their star chaser Kayda Shae back in time for the Sandown Park feature on May 5, with the fawn son of Kilty Lad and Cosmic Aphrodite sidelined due to injury since winning the Group 2 Shootout last November.
“He had his last rays last week, the crack has healed nice, so he will is starting back in work next week.
“It will probably be three or four weeks until we trial him, but he will be back out in the work runs which he will definitely enjoy.”
Check out Unlawful Entry (1) breaking Bekim Bale's track record.
GreyhoundRacing Ran 28.95 at Sandown to lower Bekim Bales track record
GreyhoundRacing Ran 28.95 at Sandown to lower Bekim Bales track record