Victorian Dailly kennels group racing double on Golden Easter Egg night
She missed out on a Golden Easter Egg Final berth, but Lala Kiwi could soon be a millionaire.
That was after her quarter-length win in the $33,000 The Ambrosoli (520m) at Wentworth Park on Saturday night.
As a result, Andrea Dailly's almost three-year-old has booked herself a spot in the Million Dollar Chase semi-finals, starting on April 29.
The veteran bitch – now with 23 wins from 55 starts – showed her experience to shut out chasing kennelmate Zippy Tesla.
Daph's Ascend third place made it a trifecta for the Dailly kennel in the Group 3 feature.
The Dailly team's handler for the night – Bradley Keel – was impressed with the courage Lala Kiwi showed in a memorable triumph for the star Victorian team.
“She (Lala Kiwi) went fantastic. All three ran a good race,” Keel told australianracinggreyhound.com.
“I honestly thought Zippy Tesla had her, to tell you the truth, because he's so strong.
“It was a great effort to hold him off.”
But Lala Kiwi is no slouch – she ran second in the $725,000 Melbourne Cup at Sandown on November 26 last year.
“The Easter Egg was the race we went for last week, and she only ran third (in her semi-final). She was the first emergency,” Keel said.
“It would've been better to be in that race, but unfortunately we weren't.
“Million Dollar Chase heats (is her next target). It's fantastic. That'll be the next aim here at Wentworth Park.”
2022 The Ambrosoli (Wentworth Park, 520m) – Lala Kiwi
Rounding out a fantastic night for the Dailly kennel, two-year-old Gypsy Wyong saluted in the $100,000 Group 1 Association Cup (720m).
The two-year-old recorded a comfortable 3.5-length win over Jeffrey Britton's Mepunga Ruby in a time of 29.80 seconds.
“She's just fantastic. She knows how to win races and she continually does it,” Keel said.
“I'm not sure what Andrea has planned for her, but I'd say she should be in a half-million dollar race coming up here over 700m.
“Plus there's the Sandown Cup. There are plenty of races around for her, that's for sure.
“I didn't think she could win from box eight.”
Keel was quick to credit Dailly and her husband Tom, and Tom's brother George for the kennel's consistent success.
“George and Tom have bred them all (the runners in the kennel),” he said.
“George has whelped and reared them. They've done everything with them from the day they were born.”
The Daillys' handler was also thrilled to notch up two winners in front of a big and vocal crowd on a massive night for greyhound racing at its spiritual home.
“You probably get a better atmosphere at Wentworth Park than any other greyhound track in Australia,” Keel said.
“The noise reverberates through the ampitheatre. I've been all over Australia and I don't think you'd find a better atmosphere for greyhound racing.”