Qwara Bale begins Flying Amy quest

Image credit: The Greyhound Recorder

By Isaac Murphy

The Dailly kennel are only four months removed from seeing Shima Shine dominate the Group 1 Gold Bullion at Albion Park and they’re back for more.

Heir apparent Qwara Bale has arrived in the Sunshine State for this week’s Group 2 Flying Amy heats on the back of a maiden Group 1 triumph, winning the Sapphire Crown in Melbourne.

Kennel representative Tom Dailly said the bitch had just begun to fulfill her unlimited talent, which has seen her rocket to the top echelon of the Australian sprinting ranks.

“We knew pretty early she was going to be something to be reckoned with, her first couple of starts she won by a combined dozen lengths over the short course, and we took her to The Meadows not long after and she won first look in 29.97,” he said.

“It seems an age ago now, but her career only started in January; since those initial runs she’s continued to mature before our eyes and in the space of the last month has a Group 1 and Group 2 beside her name.

“Her last month of racing is as good as you’ll find, winning her heat and final for the Group 2 Warrnambool Cup, then doing the same in the Group 1 Sapphire Crown, she’s achieved more than a lot of good greyhounds manage in a career.”

Qwara Bale wasn’t supposed to be the headline act at the Group 2 Warrnambool Cup in early May, with kennel mate Shima Shine favoured to add the race to his legacy - instead she began to build her own.

“One turn Country Cups like Warrnambool are such a big part of racing here in Victoria, we’ve always made sure she’s had experiences on those type of tracks and it paid off big time when she won,” Dailly said.

“She was sensational there to lead a dog with box manners like Yozo Bale and have the strength to maintain a break on the kennel mate Shima Shine was something to behold for a bitch who’d turned two a month earlier.

“We took her straight back to the circle for the Sapphire Crown and she showed another side of her coming from midfield in the run to swamp the leaders in the run home, she’s looking like a pretty complete race bitch at the moment.”

With a Free For All win at Sandown last week, the bitch took her winning streak to five, and Dailly said it was a no brainer to try for six in the Flying Amy heats.

“It was an easy decision to get her up to Brisbane, we want to capitalise on the race bitch she’s developed into and there’s no better racing in the country over the next month with the Flying Amy and the Brisbane Cup,” he said.

“The Flying Amy being an age restricted race was a massive draw card, she’s shown us she’s capable against hardened Group dogs and dropping back against those her own age we’re definitely expecting her to give the race a good shake.

“That’s not to discount her competition, we’re not the only ones who’ve seen the prestige and prizemoney this race carries and she’s going to have to be at her absolute best to advance through this week’s heats.”

A young chaser, with a wide draw (7), and first look at Albion Park are all warning signs for Qwara Bale this week, but the kennel has full confidence she’ll do everything possible.

“She hasn’t seen the track before, but we back her in to perform first up; she hadn’t seen Warrnambool before and she went there and ran arguably the best couple of races of her career - we’re confident she’ll adapt,” Dailly said.

“One of her great strengths is being able to handle any box draw, she’s blessed with natural speed but also has the race sense to get out and see who’s around her and navigate a path, which will be crucial from box seven in her heat.

“The only dog in the field we’ve come across before is Do It for Jeff Britton who’s a very handy chaser, but there looks like there’s plenty of talented locals we’re hoping she can jump well and take luck out of the equation.”

Qwara Bale is closing the gap but Shima Shine still holds sway as king of the kennel and will get his chance at a Gold Bullion/Brisbane Cup double come Group 1 time later in the winter.

“We’ve got very fond memories of Brisbane seeing Shima Shine win the Gold Bullion at the start of the year and we’re definitely going to get him up there in the next couple of weeks and see if he can challenge for the Brisbane Cup,” Dailly said.

“It didn’t work out for him in the Group 1 Harrison Dawson Final down here recently, but his 29.00 win in the heats show he’s still one of the fastest dogs in Australia.

“Ideally Qwara Bale will come through the Flying Amy well and they can both be there to mount a challenge for the Group 1.”