Action Packed Waterloo Cup Heats

The four Waterloo Cup heats served up four engrossing, action-packed races. Those heats has brought together a terrific final field who will chase after Group 1 honours in next Sunday’s $35,000 decider at the Manukau Stadium. The subsequent box draw for the final has thrown out further intrigue on the likely outcome for this 527m event.

Pictured: Dyna Dave delivering his turbocharged Addington Waterloo Cup heat victory

Waterloo Cup, heat 1 - Cambridge Raceway, Thursday

Thrilling Vice meant business – real business when he exited from the ace trap. He seized the early race lead and after a brief paw wrestle he was never headed afterwards when he delivered his freewheeling 25.97s 457m heat win for his conditioner Karen Walsh.

There was a group of chasers slugging it out in behind Thrilling Vice seeking the other final field position available from this heat. It resulted in the vastly experienced Lisa Cole prepared Bigtime Levi delivering his usual strong finish to claim that placing 2.25 lengths behind Thrilling Vice.

Winding up third, three-quarters of a length further behind was the Ben Craik trained Zipping Buddy who becomes the second reserve for the final.

Waterloo Cup, heat 2 - Addington Raceway, Thursday

Dyna Dave was installed as the early $3.50 TAB Futures Waterloo Cup favourite and he certainly justified that solid support when he cruised to his effortless 3.75 length 520m win. He delivered his win in a very smart 29.83s. It sure was a classy display of chasing from the Craig Roberts prepared greyhound.

Finishing strongly from out of the midfield pack was Know Refusal and his second placing ensured that this Gary Cleeve trained fella will make his return up north to the venue where he won last season’s $16,000 New Zealand Sire’s Produce Stakes.

Waterloo Cup, heat 3 - Hatrick Raceway, Friday

Wow – a Group 1 heat dead heat for first for the nation’s leading trainer Lisa Cole! That was the result of an enthralling Waterloo Cup heat at the Hatrick Raceway on Friday evening. We expected the pacey Bigtime Cooper to lead his rivals out from the five trap. He did so when producing his usual quick 4.91s first sectional.

His kennel mate Bigtime Rod stalked the pacemaker down the back straight and around the final turn. He kicked on solidly, closing down the gap, but not getting past Cooper, hence after 30.17s on intense 520m chasing a dead heat for the race was declared.

We have to mention the professional greyhound Nature’s Gent here who wound up 1.4 lengths behind the dead heaters in third. Sure the Angela Turnwald trained chaser bowed out of the Waterloo Cup series at this point, however in doing so he maintained his astounding record of being placed on the postrace podium in all of the 15 races he has contested from the one trap (eight wins).

Waterloo Cup, heat 4 – Manukau Stadium, Sunday

The Auckland hosted Waterloo Cup 527m heat saw an absolute ripper of a field being assembled. The race itself was full of twists and turns as field positions changed dramatically during this paw wrestle.

It was Jinja Might who won the break from the five trap for her trainers Jared Udy and Denise Cottam. The Lisa Cole prepared All About Space speared up onto the early pace after she exited from trap seven. Her kennel mate Big Time Seth settled along the rail wearing the red racing vest. Settling back in the field were three of the favoured contenders Thrilling Talk, Pinny Mack and Robson, while Emgrand Park was posted wide going into the first turn after he hopped away from trap eight.

Jinja Might and All About Space led a condensed field down the back straight and towards the final turn with Big Time Seth stalking them. Making a sustained run at the pace setters at this point was the Angela Turnwald mentored Auckland Cup title holder Diddilee. Thrilling Talk was scrambling for racing room on the rail in behind Big Time Seth. A racing gap was never presented to him. Pinny Mack was in the midfield, while Robson was racing in the rear group along with Emgrand Park.

Turning in for the run home Diddilee loomed up as a serious-looking winning contender. It wasn’t to be as Jinja Might moved out when pressured and collided with Diddilee. That effectively ended the advancement hopes held by this pair. Seizing a racing line on their inner was Bigtime Seth and he extended stylishly to claim the heat in 30.68s. In doing so he provided Lisa Cole with four Waterloo Cup finalists.

Also spying the same gap and rocketing through it to the judge was Robson and he claimed the second placing just a half-length behind for his conditioner Peter Ferguson. Using that healthy tactic ensured that the Golden Chase winner was going to return to contest the final. Pinny Mack was resilient when he also hit the line powerfully a further length back and in doing so last year’s Waterloo Cup winner booked the first possie on the reserves bench for his trainer Steve Clark. Just a nose back in fourth was the gallant and luckless Diddilee.

Thrilling Vice with his conditioner Karen Walsh, along with runner up Bigtime Levi seen here with his handler Georgie Cole after the Waikato hosted Waterloo Cup heat; Bigtime Cooper, who dead-heated with his kennel mate Bigtime Rod in the Hatrick heat, is seen here after an earlier win; Bigtime Seth with his handler Sam Lozell following his Manukau Waterloo Cup heat victory.

$35,000 Waterloo Cup – 527m, Manukau Stadium, Sunday, October 6

1 Thrilling Vice – Karen Walsh

2 Bigtime Cooper – Lisa Cole

3 Bigtime Seth – Lisa Cole

4 Bigtime Rod – Lisa Cole

5 Robson – Peter Ferguson

6 Know Refusal –Gary Cleeve

7 Bigtime Levi – Lisa Cole

8 Dyna Dave – Craig Roberts

Reserves – 9 Pinny Mack – Steve Clark

10 Zipping Buddy – Ben Craik

By Peter Fenemor

Posted on 29 September 2019

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