Paris Will Wait ready for step towards Bundaberg Wildcard series

By Neil Archer

Trainer Kevin Bryant has no concerns about his promising bitch Paris Will Wait stepping up to 531 metres for the first time when she lines up in her heat of the Bundaberg Cup Wildcard on Monday.

There are two 531 metres heats of the Bundaberg Cup Wildcard on Monday with the winner of Wildcard Final on February 26 gaining an automatic entry into the $75,000-to-the-winner Bundaberg Cup on March 11.

The Cup heats will be run on March 4.

Paris Will Wait has so far won nine of her 16 starts - eight wins at Bundaberg - and a 331 metre success at Albion Park last September.

She won by 14 lengths in 26.48 seconds on debut at Bundaberg on July 10 last year and more recently has won four of her past five starts at that track over 315 metres and 460 metres.

"I don't think the step up to 531 metres for the first time will be any issue," Bryant said. 

"Her run-home times over the 460 metres have been good. She's very quick and very gutsy.

"But, she might need this run on Monday and will definitely improve the following week if she does get into the Wildcard Final.

"I'm not sure if she can beat the eight dog (the Tony Apap-trained Smart And Classy) on Monday, but I expect her to run very well."

Bryant, who is based at Tiaro, only has a handful of greyhounds in his kennel these days and Paris Will Wait is by his former promising chaser No Easy Beat, out of Nurse Meg.

Bryant owned No Easy Beat who showed great potential before a back muscle injury prematurely ended his racing career.

Trained for most of his short career by Bryant's great mate Rusty Dillon, No Easy Beat (from a Zambora Brockie and Lilly Sur Seine litter) raced just 16 times for eight wins and four placings.

He won five times at Albion Park, including an easy win in the 2019 Molly Campbell Silver Dollars over 520 metres in 29.65 seconds.

"No Easy Beat showed a lot of promise and it was very disappointing that the injury ended his racing career after just 16 starts, but that's racing," Bryant said. 

The Tony Apap-trained Smart And Classy looms as the one to beat in Paris Will Wait's heat on Monday.

A 10-time Bundaberg winner earlier in his career for trainer David Plummer, Smart And Classy is coming off a last-start 8.25 length win at Ipswich last Saturday.

Last year's Bundaberg Cup winner Springview Magic begins his quest for another crack at the feature when he lines up in the first Wildcard heat on Monday.

Now with trainer Brian Terry, Springview Magic was with Eric Conroy when he upstaged some of the state's leading kennels in last year's Bundaberg Cup.

Springview Magic defeated the Selena Zammit-trained All Natural, who has since gone on to bigger things, while the Tony Zammit-trained pair Deemed A Liar and Go Bing finished third and fourth.