Hello Mike favourite for Gold Bullion after thrilling heats at Albion Park

By Alex Nolan

With both greyhound and trainer’s confidence restored, Hello Mike is set to enter next week’s $375,000 Group 1 Gold Bullion at Albion Park as a warm favourite.

But, based on the performances across five heats at Albion Park during the club’s Australia Day celebrations on Thursday, the Travis Elson speedster will be in for a fight.

Hello Mike bounced back to winning form in the second heat of the series after pinging from box one and scooting clear to hold out Shipwreck by 4.25 lengths in a time of 29.72 seconds.

While it was the second-quickest time recorded across the heats, only bettered by Ipswich Cup winner Hara’s Herbie in 29.64 seconds, drawing box two for the Final has seen him open $3 with TAB.

Hello Mike set tongues wagging when he recorded a personal best time of 29.49 seconds at Albion Park in mid-December.

He went on to win the New Year’s Trophy a fortnight later, before running third in a heat of the Golden Ticket and a “horrifying” seventh in the Australia Day Trophy, both from wide draws.

“I couldn’t get a guide off his last two runs, he’s been hammered,” Elson said post-race.

“With the draw tonight it gave him a clear run and I was very happy with the time he ran.

“The box draw and wide runners to his inside has cost him a fair bit of confidence.

“Hopefully tonight’s win is a boost for his confidence.”

Elson desperately hoped for an inside draw to give the dog a “fairy tale finish” this summer.

With family patriarch Bill Elson at home fighting a battle against dementia, Travis wants to win a big race with this dog for his father.

His wish came true when he drew box two, with surprise first-heat winner Come On Aussie drawn to his inside on the rails.

Come On Aussie is likely to go off at long odds again next Thursday ($31 TAB) after causing the upset of the night.  

Despite being the ‘omen bet’ on Australia Day, the Ned Snow-trained dog was sent around at $34 from box eight.

But, after crossing to trail the Cyndie Elson-trained Hopeful Bill throughout, Come On Aussie surged late to score by 0.75 lengths in 30.02 seconds.

It was the first of two dogs to qualify for trainer Ned Snow, with Shipwreck following Hello Mike through to the Final after running second in his heat.

While Come On Aussie will enter the Final as a long shot, Shipwreck is the joint $5.50 second-favourite with Boo Boo Billy and Hara’s Herbie.

However, at home, Snow has sometimes struggled to split the two litter mates.

“I used to trial them both together and there was nothing between them but Shipwreck, he went on with his races where the other bloke in the Vince Curry he had box six and he came down the outside and the five dog took him out of the race,” Snow said.  

“Then one night in a fifth-grade final at Ipswich Come On Aussie drew box one and I was going to back him to beat Shipwreck because I thought he could beat him on the draw.

“His first sectional he went within a tick of breaking the track record.

“So, he always had that in him and I thought he’d get a good run tonight but I thought Orchestrate would beat him.

“That’s racing.”

Orchestrate, last year’s Brisbane Cup winner, was sent out as the $2.30 favourite but found trouble early and could only manage sixth.

In the third heat, the Greg Deering-trained speedster Times Three charged to the first turn from box five to challenge favourite Hara’s Skye for the lead and found it going through the catching pen.

He would clear out to score by 3.75 lengths in 29.89 seconds to the delight of his trainer’s wife and handler on the night, Kim.

“He jumped well and held it, it was great,” she told SKY.

“He gets the speed wobbles so turning the corner he needs to learn to take them a little bit better but he’s just hammer and tongs the whole way.”

Times Three drew box three for the Final and is currently $9 with TAB.

De Ferran overcame box six to score in the fourth heat for trainer Tony Zammit, beating home last week’s Golden Ticket joint-Golden Ticket winner Throttle by 5.25 lengths in 29.98 seconds.

Zammit said the powerful youngster was better suited to racing in a full field, after being downed in a Golden Ticket match-up with Shipwreck.

“It’s a good series the match race but unless you’re a railer you don’t run the time a good railer would run, that’s what beat him in the match race,” Zammit said.

“Tonight in a full field, he can stay off the track when he jumps so box six was a good box being out there and having that little room to move.

“When he gets to the lead he’s never been run down in any of his races.

“I guess next week it’ll be up to the draw. It’s a great series so far with what we have qualified. The owner’s here from Sydney tonight Darren Leeson so I’m really rapt for him to see him race live.”

De Ferran will start from box five and is currently $8 in the Final.  

However, the best of the heat winners was saved until last when the Jemma Daley-trained Hara’s Herbie scorched the track in 29.64 seconds to secure his place in the Group 1 Final.

The Ipswich Cup winner and Ipswich Derby left smartly from box two and managed to hold out Victorian chaser Boo Boo Billy for the lead rounding the first turn.

They remained in that order throughout, although Boo Boo Billy lost no admirers when he narrowed the margin to 1.5 lengths late.

Boo Boo Billy will start from box four in the Final.  

Hara’s Herbie won a heat of the Queensland Derby after a confidence-boosting run at Ipswich five days prior, prompting Daley to employ the same method leading into his Group 1 heat.

“He’s done it again and improved on his time and that’s all we can ask for,” she said.

“He just keeps getting better and better. He had a couple of niggles we were nursing along and he was a little below his best for the Derby Final so he’s definitely back.

“That’s probably him. He’s a very honest race dog. Even though he had no luck in the Derby Final he was still coming, he’s as honest as they come.”

Daley and partner Tarquin Neal have risen to prominence in recent years as two of the brightest prospects in the Queensland training ranks.

With the support of owner Tony Glover, Daley prepared 82 winners at a strike-rate of 31% in 2022.

The former thoroughbred track work rider and strapper has put her heart and soul into the greyhounds alongside Neal.

After a big couple of years, success in a maiden Group 1 would be icing on the cake.

“I think we’d take a holiday after that but it would top it right off,” she said.  

“To have the support we do with Tony and Leah and knowing we have plenty of young ones coming through is encouraging and makes you want to keep pushing on.”

Hara’s Herbie will earn plenty of respect from punters at $5.50 in the Final but will be forced to overcome box six.

“He has pinged from the seven before but it comes down to luck on the corner and if you have the inside you’re going to have a little more luck than everyone else,” she said.

Early in the evening, Mepunga Ruby showed all of her class to win a heat of the Group 3 Gold Cup over 710 metres and is now a clear $2.50 favourite for next week’s Final.

She will exit box three, while fellow heat winner Superman Keeping has come up $5.50 after drawing box five.

Group 1 GOLD BULLION – BOX DRAW AND TAB FIXED ODDS

1. COME ON AUSSIE ($31)

2. HELLO MIKE ($3)

3. TIMES THREE ($9)

4. BOO BOO BILLY ($5.50)

5. DE FERRAN ($8)

6. HARA’S HERBIE ($5.50)

7. JAY IS JAY ($6.50)

8. SHIPWRECK ($5.50)

EMERGENCIES – 9. Hopeful Bill ($34), 10. Hara’s Skye ($5).

Group 3 GOLD CUP – BOX DRAW AND TAB FIXED ODDS

1. DAYS OF THUNDER ($5.50)

2. STAGGER OUT LEE ($5.50)

3. MEPUNGA RUBY ($2.50)

4. KORDA ($11)

5. SUPERMAN KEEPING ($5.50)

6. POCKET MONEY ($26)

7. SORORITY ($26)

8. OH OH RANGE ($10)

EMERGENCIES – 9. Me And You ($51), 10. Gin Shelf ($51).