The powerful Dailly/Wheeler partnership returned to the spotlight on Saturday night when Mossimo Bale followed in the footsteps of his illustrious sire Fernando Bale in the Group 2 Casey Steel Cranbourne Cup Final (520m).

The many feature race conquests of Fernando Bale, which was also trained by Andrea Dailly, included country cups successes at Bendigo and Traralgon and Mossimo Bale’s Cranbourne triumph continued the sensational start to his champion father’s stud career.“

We haven’t had as many group winners lately compared to a couple of years ago, so this is a really nice feeling, and it’s even more special because he’s a son of Fernando Bale,” Andrea Dailly said.

The complexion of the $47,000 to-the-winner Cranbourne Cup changed dramatically with the scratching of superstar Up Hill Jill, which saw Traralgon Cup hero Poke The Bear, another son of Fernando Bale, trained by Seona Thompson, start $2.40 favourite from box eight.

Kate Gorman’s Monster Fish, runner-up to Poke The Bear in the Traralgon Cup and then again in the Cranbourne heats, was the $4.40 second elect from box two, while Mossimo Bale was an $11.10 outsider from box six after a 30.26sec heat victory at his Cranbourne debut.

Striving to go one better than at Traralgon, Monster Fish was best to begin and led Mossimo Bale rounding the first turn, while punter’s fancy Poke The Bear was awkwardly positioned, trapped wide outside reserve Jesaulenko.

Monster Fish and Mossimo Bale broke clear down the back and Mossimo Bale wore down the gallant Monster Fish in the home straight to score by 1.41 lengths in 30.12sec, at an impressive 14 from 30 strike rate, with a luckless Poke The Bear rattling home to finish third.

“He isn’t in the same league as Fernando Bale was but he’s a very good dog, and when he settled second behind Monster Fish I was just hoping he’d be strong enough to run him down, and he was,” Dailly said.

“We call him Batman at home because of the markings on his face, and he’s a little bit more playful than what Fernando Bale was. Fernando was a pure professional and it’s great that his pups are doing so well and that breeders are using him.“

“The Wheelers are still breeding litters but not as many as they used to. It’s great that we can still win the odd big race together.”

While young trainer Kate Gorman was frustratingly denied a breakthrough Group success with Monster Fish for the second time in succession, she received $14,000 consolation as a result of Monster Fish being crowned the Gippsland Carnival Champion.

It wasn’t all bad news for Poke The Bear’s trainer Seona Thompson either, as earlier in the night $1.20 favourite Azkaban took out the $10,000 to-the-winner Backmans Supplies Victoria Cup over 699m, while Big Bubbles, prepared by John Martinovic, claimed the $5000 winner’s purse in The Van Echteld over 311m.

*This article was compiled by Gerard Guthrie and Andrew Copley. Images by Clint Anderson.

Up Hill Jill became Australia’s first female greyhound sprinter to surpass $500,000 when she won a heat of the Cranbourne Cup on Saturday night.

Only 27 Australian greyhounds have surpassed the half a million dollar barrier, including six females, with Up Hill Jill the only one of the six that isn’t a stayer.

Bred and owned by Rose Geall and trained by Rose’ husband David, Up Hill Jill has had 61 starts for 33 wins and 21 placings, while her prize money stands at $503,781.

Her record on the big stage is exemplary, having contested 13 Group events for wins in the Group 1 Topgun and Group 2 Laurels, along with nine placings. If she wins the Cranbourne Cup on Saturday night her earnings will surpass $550,000.

“She’s drawn in box seven and we always give her a chance because she has won or run a place in most of the group finals she has been in,” Rose Geall told SEN’s Jack Heverin. “Having said that, it is a really good field and there’s a lot of strong dogs in the race. We’re hoping she gets a good lead and that she hangs on.”

Up Hill Jill’s phenomenal early and mid-race speed is what sets her apart from most greyhounds.

“She’s got really good early speed out of the boxes and she (usually) races off down the back (straight) and sets up a good lead in front of all the other dogs, and that means it takes a strong dog to have to run her down. Sometimes they do, and sometimes they don’t,” she said.

The Gealls breed about one litter per year from their property in Lara and, as well as Up Hill Jill, have bred a number of talented greyhounds including group class pair Sir Charleton and Striker Klinsman along with El Rio, who had 18 wins from 100 starts.

“We usually breed one litter a year, (because) we’ve only got the facilities and the time to do that many,” Geall said. “We love to spend time with the pups and this is very important for their upbringing, just to make sure that they’re confident and happy to be around people by the time they get to 12-14 months of age when they go to the breakers (to be educated). When they go to the breakers it’s a new environment again, and it’s easier for the breakers to break them in if the pups are confident and happy to be around other people.”

Rose said spending time with their pups starts virtually from day one.

“When the pups are in the back yard up until three months of age we are out there with them all the time. (From three months) they go down to the puppy runs down the back (of our property) and David is down there (interacting with them) at least twice a day. We also have a couple of owners of the pups who come down twice a week and spend time with them as well, and it’s really good because they just need that confidence and to be happy to be around people,” she said.

Up Hill Jill is currently second in TAB betting at $2.80 to win the Cranbourne Cup behind Poke The Bear ($2.70).

Australia’s all-time top-earning female greyhound sprinters (as at 07.02.2018)

1. UP HILL JILL ($503,801)*
2. BOGIE LEIGH ($488,355)
3. GOT A MOMENT ($477,626)
4. STRIKER LIGHT ($463,600)*
5. CINDEEN SHELBY ($443,895)
*Currently racing

Simone Fisher talks to the connections of the seven runners in the 2018 Cranbourne Cup, which will run on Saturday, 10 February.

The Inside Word – 2018 Cranbourne Cup Heats – RECKONING
Peter Presutto said his greyhound Reckoning puts his all in on race night which gives him confidence in every start. Hear what else Presutto has to say about Reckoning in Saturday night’s Cranbourne Cup.

The Inside Word – 2018 Cranbourne Cup Heats – MONSTER FISH
Monster Fish is already a winner by becoming the Gippsland Champion and an additional $14,000. Hear what trainer Kate Gorman has to say about Monster Fish and his chances in Saturday night’s Cranbourne Cup.

The Inside Word – 2018 Cranbourne Cup Heats – MAURICE MINOR
Maurice Minor is no stranger to travel and his trainer Tom Tzouvelis believes that there is room for improvement following his first race start on the track. Hear what else Tzouvelis has to say about Maurice Minor as he lines up in Saturday night’s Cranbourne Cup

The Inside Word – 2018 Cranbourne Cup Heats – HE SHALL JOHNNY
He Shall Johnny has never been out of the money at Cranbourne, and his trainer David Crawford believes that it could work in his favour. Hear what else Crawford has to say about He Shall Johnny as he lines up in Saturday night’s Cranbourne Cup.

The Inside Word – 2018 Cranbourne Cup Heats – MOSSIMO BALE
Co-trainer George Dailly said that Mossimo Bale is coming into himself and starting to perform every time he steps into a track. Hear what else Dailly has to say about Mossimo Bale ahead of Saturday night’s Cranbourne Cup.

The Inside Word – 2018 Cranbourne Cup Heats – UP HILL JILL
David Geall said he has never used the word trust when talking about a greyhound’s ability to jump out of a box, but he has just started to now. Hear what Geall has to say about Up Hill Jill ahead of Saturday night’s Cranbourne Cup.

The Inside Word – 2018 Cranbourne Cup Heats – POKE THE BEAR
Seona Thompson believes that box eight should not be a problem for up and comer Poke The Bear. Hear what else Thompson has to say on Poke The Bear in Saturday night’s Cranbourne Cup.

Milestones were made on Saturday night at Cranbourne when Victorian speedster Up Hill Jill cracked half a million dollars in prize money by winning a heat of the Group Two Casey Steel Cranbourne Cup.

Bred, owned, and trained by Lara resident David Geall, Up Hill Jill continues to achieve heights he didn’t think was possible.

“Winning our first group one ($200,000 Topgun invitational) with Jill was very emotional, but she continues to amaze us,” David Geall said.

“Everything has that extra excitement when you have been with the dog from go to wow. This ride with Jill is what dreams are made of,”

“Cracking the half a million dollar mark in prize money is something that we haven’t been focusing on, but it is definitely an enjoyable one.”

Up Hill Jill has drawn box seven in the $67,000 Cranbourne Cup which will be run on Saturday 10 February and is the fourth and final leg of Greyhound Racing Victoria’s Gippsland Carnival.

Geall believes that the odd box may just work in her favour.

“Not many people would say they are happy with box seven, but Jill tends to perform very well from odd number boxes.”

If Up Hill Jill’s Topgun win in October where she also jumped from box seven is anything to go by she is in with every chance.

Up Hill Jill is blessed with blistering early speed, and she will have to use every ounce of it in her 62nd start (33 wins, 18 seconds and three thirds) as she faces the new kid on the block, local Poke The Bear.

“Poke The Bear is a very fast dog and he has proven that he can perform on the big stage by winning the Traralgon Cup before the Cranbourne Cup heats, but I have so much trust in Jill because she always does her best,” Geall said.

“I was wrapped with Jill’s heat win on Saturday night considering she missed the jump but was still able run the fastest first split in the heats.”

“I am also expecting improvement heading into the final because she tends to go better at her second look at a track.”

The hopes and dreams of a Devon Meadows family will be riding on the shoulders of a greyhound with ‘a huge heart’ in Saturday night’s $67,000 Group 2 Cranbourne Cup.

Reckoning, trained by Peter Presutto with the help of wife Natalie and their three sons, is primed for a bold showing in the Cranbourne Cup after drawing the coveted box one.

He scored a brilliant heat win on the weekend, his 13^th win from 41 starts, just eight days after running third in the Traralgon Cup behind the brilliant Poke The Bear, who is trained at Pearcedale by Seona Thompson.

“Box 1 helps but you’ve got to use it. He can be hit or miss at the start, but if he begins like he did in his heat he will be right in it,” Presutto said of Reckoning.

“I train a small team of four greyhounds and it’s a real team effort. My wife Natalie and our sons James (24), Aaron (22) and Daniel (19) all help out with the dogs, and we will all be there on Saturday night cheering Reckoning on.”

Presutto, 53, bought his first greyhound in 1986 and says a win in the Cranbourne Cup would be his finest achievement.

“I’ve won a Healesville Cup and made several other feature finals, but winning the Cranbourne Cup would be extra special. Not necessarily for me or the fact it’s my local track, but mainly because I feel that Reckoning deserves to win a big race.”

“He has been a bit unlucky in some of his runs but I am so proud of him because he is really gutsy and has a huge heart, a huge motor and he also has quite a bit of ability.”

“At home he loves a pat and he loves a scratch and he’s extremely laid back and relaxed. That changes when I he goes to the track, though, because all he wants to do when he gets there is race,” he said.

Making the appearance of Reckoning in the Cranbourne Cup even more of a family affair is the fact that his breeders and owners, Bill and Serg Buccilli, are related to Presutto.

“Bill and Serg are my second cousins and they’ve had a lot of success in greyhound racing. It’s a privilege to train a greyhound for them, especially one as good as Reckoning,” Presutto said.

Reckoning has amassed $63,495 in prize money so far, with the Cranbourne Cup offering up a $47,000 first prize.

A third local greyhound, He Shall Johnny, trained at Pearcedale by David Crawford, will also contest the race.

The Cranbourne Cup is the fourth and final leg of greyhound racing’s 2017/18 Gippsland Carnival, which began with the Sale Cup on Boxing Day, followed by the Warragul and Traralgon Cups in January.

2018 CASEY STEEL CRANBOURNE CUP

Saturday night, 10 February
Status: Group 2; Distance: 520m
Prize money: $67,000 – $47,000 (1^st); $13,350 (2^nd); $6,650 (3^rd)

1. RECKONING (Peter Presutto, Devon Meadows VIC)
2. MONSTER FISH (Kate Gorman, Tanjil South VIC)
3. MARS RISING (Des Douch, Maffra VIC)
4. MAURICE MINOR (Tom Tzouvelis, Ormeau QLD)
5. HE SHALL JOHNNY (David Crawford, Pearcedale VIC)
6. MOSSIMO BALE (Andrea Dailly, Anakie VIC)
7. UP HILL JILL (David Geall, Lara VIC)
8. POKE THE BEAR (Seona Thompson, Pearcedale VIC)

Reserves
9. JESAULENKO (Terri-Maree Morris, Traralgon VIC)
10. IMMEN BALE (Andrea Dailly, Anakie VIC)

Monster Fish will be crowned the 2017/18 Gippsland Carnival champion, regardless of where he finishes in Saturday night’s Group 2 Casey Steel Cranbourne Cup (520m) final.

Trained by Kate Gorman of Tanjil South, Monster Fish has an unassailable lead on 59 points, ensuring he will collect $14,000 in bonus prize money, while Jesaulenko (49 points), who is a reserve in the Cranbourne Cup, has sewn up second place and will collect a $4,000 bonus.

Poke The Bear is in the box seat to claim a $2,000 bonus for accumulating the third most points, however he could potentially be overtaken by Reckoning, depending on where the two greyhounds finish in the Cranbourne Cup.

The Gippsland Carnival incorporates the 2017 Sale Cup (650m) and Gippsland Carnival Launch (440m), which were both held on Boxing Day, as well as the 2018 Warragul Cup (January 13), Traralgon Cup (January 26) and Cranbourne Cup (February 10).

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