By Alex Nolan
New South Wales trainers Michelle Sultana and Darryl Thomas hope to extend their Queensland visit by another week with two runners in Sunday’s Group 3 TAB Capalaba Cup heats.
Sultana and Thomas have travelled north with recent Group 2 Healesville Cup winner Sacred Stance and the lightly raced, but injury prone, Ace Quality.
Sacred Stance is raced by the Punters HQ Syndicate – who won one of this years editions of the Million Dollar Chase with She’s A Pearl – and was a Group 1 Finalist in Tasmania before heading to New South Wales.
After two starts for Jodie Lord, he would land at the Sawyers Gully kennel and has since won four from his last six outings, the latest being the Group 2 feature in Victoria.
The son of Beast Unleashed trialled at Capalaba on Sunday in 19.63 seconds, despite sustaining a minor abrasion at the start.
“He did nick himself at the start of the trial but it has all healed up and it’s all guns blazing going into Sunday,” Sultana said.
Sacred Stance was given his chance at taking on the $50,000 to the winner Cup at Healesville, despite a luckless eighth in the NSW Straight Track Championship at Richmond last month.
It was the start prior, in the heats, when he convincingly beat straight track star Mr America – trained by Darren Sultana – that convinced the trainer he was worthy of heading south.
“It was a mission,” Sultana said of the 26-hour round trip.
“But, he handled it so well and the dog proved he was up to it.”
The journey to Queensland has been less taxing for both greyhound and trainer, with Sultana and Thomas setting up base with Michael and Selena Zammit at Willow Vale.
It’s fair to say the rain-weary Hunter Valley trainers have enjoyed the Queensland sunshine.
“It’s nice to be out of the rain and not wearing a jumper,” Sultana said.
“I’ve known Mick and Selena since I was a baby and my dad Sam and Mick are very good friends as well.”
Ace Quality, from a Barcia Bale and All Quality litter, is a half sibling to Line Of Quality, which Thomas brought to Albion Park to win a heat of the Group 2 Golden Sands last December.
After bolting in by more than 11 lengths on debut, Ace Quality was sidelined for the best part of seven months through injury.
He returned to the track in July and won his next four starts on the bounce, all in best of meeting times, and was only narrowly beaten at his most recent start over 400 metres at Maitland on August 22.
Sunday’s heat will be his first race start on the straight course, but Thomas believes he’s shown enough to warrant a crack at the $60,000 feature.
“This dog isn’t far behind, if not equal with Sacred Stance on the straight where we trial,” he said.
“He is inexperienced and hasn’t had the two trials at Capalaba, we only got the one trial and he messed up the start pretty badly.
“Ideally, we would’ve liked to give him another trial, or two, but he can definitely run.
“Michael and Selena are so welcoming and we really appreciate them letting us stay, hopefully for two weeks.”