Wheel And Go weakening in Carnival Chase betting despite being fastest finalist
As the 2023 Group 3 Carnival Chase at Albion Park fast approaches, Tim Britton, is grappling with tempered expectations, after having had the fastest qualifier but having drawn box five for the final.
Wheel And Go, is set to run from the five box in the 600m race, a box where he has never won from.
Wheel And Go has won 14 of his 16 races from the inside four boxes, while he has never won from boxes five, seven or eight.
In the lead-up to the Carnival Chase, Wheel And Go ran well in Group 1 Sandown Cup heats, but was beaten in to fifth as a +270 favourite with greyhound bookmakers.
The Carnival Chase heats were his debut in Brisbane at Albion Park, and marked by a notable victory, further enhancing his already impressive record when racing from box one.
Dominating the first of four heats, Wheel And Go leveraged his preferred inside position to secure an all-the-way win, clocking a swift 34.70 seconds.
Wheel And Go, who has claimed victory in half of his 16 career races from the red box one, showed remarkable speed in the heats.
“He went three or four lengths quicker than anything else in the heats; I'm just hoping he can overcome the box,” Tim Britton said, expressing some concern about the impact of the shift to box five.
2023 Group 3 Carnival Chase Heat 1 – Wheel And Go (34.70) T: Tim Britton
Wheel And Go (Benali x Erelda Bale), was a 2022 Group 1 Hume Cup placegetter at The Meadows over 600m, and also made the finals of the 2022 Group 3 Sir John Dillon Memorial, and the 2023 Listed Maidment Memorial, both at Sandown over 595m.
The dog's dam, Erelda Bale, is a litter sister to the renowned Fanta Bale.
Wheel And Go's 34.70 win makes him the quickest qualifier for the $40,000 to-the-winner Group 3 Carnival Chase final by some margin, with second placed Hara's River the next fastest after running 34.89.
Despite being the quickest finalist, greyhound betting sites have priced Wheel And Go a weakening +280 chance, behind equal race favourites, Adulate and Palawa King, both at greyhound odds of +250 and firming.
Britton remains optimistic about Wheel And Go's chances, noting the greyhound's adaptability over varying distances.
“He's been running over ‘700' the last month or so, but I think 600m really suits him.
“He's got speed and strength,” he observed.
Britton is hopeful that Wheel And Go can either take the lead, or position himself behind kennelmate, On The Off from box three.
Britton's second Carnival Chase finalist, On The Off, is quoted a +1300 hope with greyhound betting apps.
On The Off, a full brother to Tornado Tears finished second behind Adulate to make the Group 3 final.
“Box three is good for On The Off and he usually gets out good, but he does hit flat spots in his races,” Britton said.
2023 Group 3 Carnival Chase Final
2023 Carnival Chase Box Draw & FieldAlbion Park600mGroup 3$60,000 to-the-winnerThursday June 8 2023
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1 Keen
T: Brent KlineF: 6611Career: 80: 21-10-9Prizemoney: $128,485
$12$2.9
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2 Adulate
$3.5$1.4
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3 On The Off
T: Tim BrittonF: 6572Career: 53: 14-11-9Prizemoney: $110,220
$16$3.7
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4 Daysea's Rowdy
T: Darryl McGrathF: 6122Career: 32: 8-12-5Prizemoney: $92,300
$21$4.6
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5 Wheel And Go
T: Tim BrittonF: 1312Career: 49: 10-10-4Prizemoney: $63,295
$3.9$1.45
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6 Hara's River
T: Jemma DaleyF: 4122Career: 37: 16-9-2Prizemoney: $105,400
$5$1.65
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7 Zoha Bale
T: Mark DelbridgeF: 5112Career: 35: 10-8-6Prizemoney: $68,325
$10$2.60
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8 Palawa King
T: Ray SmithF: 3331Career: 34: 13-6-6Prizemoney: $122,980
$3.4$1.35
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9 Zipping Orlando
$4$2
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10 Ailee Bale
T: Mark DelbridgeF: 2213Career: 42: 12-9-10Prizemoney: $112,225
$4.2$2.1
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Odds correct at time of publication