Champion trainers Andrea Dailly and Jason Thompson loom as key players in Saturday night’s Group 1 TAB Australian Cup final at The Meadows, but the prolific feature race specialists will take very different records into the $300,000 to-the-winner showpiece.
Dailly has dominated the Australian Cup over the last decade and is chasing a remarkable sixth win since 2010, having been successful with Dyna Lachlan (2010), Spud Regis (2013), Dyna Double One (2015), Hecton Bale (2018) and Dyna Patty (2019).
‘Team Dailly’ will have numbers on its side after dominating last Saturday night’s heats, winning four of the eight qualifiers.
Click HERE for the latest TAB Australian Cup Final market
The ‘fantastic four’ (in time order) were fastest heat winner Lala Kiwi (29.61sec), Zippy Tesla (29.75sec), Daph’s Ascend (29.80sec) and Gypsy Bun (29.83sec).
Melbourne Cup runner-up Lala Kiwi (Box 4), which upset series favourite Aston Rupee in her heat victory, sits atop TAB’s market at $3.30, with Zippy Tesla (Box 3), winner of the Group 1 Silver Chief final at The Meadows on New Year’s Day, the $3.50 second elect.
Daph’s Ascend (Box 2) is $7.50, with Gypsy Bun (Box 7) the outsider of the home-bred quartet at $26.
“Lala Kiwi is just a very good sprinter. Hopefully it will be her turn this time.”
– ANDREA DAILLY
On the third line of betting is Immunity (Box 5) at $5, trained by Jason Thompson, who in stark contrast to the Daillys is yet to win the Australian Cup and is striving to fill one of the very rare gaps on his resume.
Immunity, which posted the second fastest heat run of 29.74sec, is a half-sister to Thompson’s 2019 Australian Cup runner-up Black Opium.
KEY TIMES
6:37pm First race
7:19pm G3 GRV Vicbred Maiden Final (Race 3)
7:38pm G3 Country Championship Final (Race 4)
7:59pm 600m Special Event (Race 5 – start of Quaddie)
8:18pm G1 TAB Fanta Bale Super Stayers Final (Race 6)
8:40pm TAB Australian Cup Consolation (Race 7)
9:03pm G1 TAB Australian Cup Final (Race 8)
10:22pm Last race (Race 12)
The other finalist at single figures is Paddy Wants Pats (Box 6), trained by Kelly Bravo, at $7.50.
Bravo and husband Brett are no strangers to Group 1 success at The Meadows, having won the 2018 Temlee with Paddy Wants Pats’ brilliant mother Striker Light, while they also won the Hume Cup in 2013 and 2015 with Alpe D’Huez and Secret Spell respectively, and the 2011 Silver Chief with Kilty Lad.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION
- – FREE four-page TAB Australian Cup lift-out in Friday’s Herald Sun.
- – Comprehensive live telecast trackside with Jason Lincoln and Jason Adams on Sky Racing, the Watchdog app and at watchdog.grv.org.au from 6:30pm.
- – Behind the scenes Twitter coverage with ‘@MelbourneGreys‘ and ‘@WatchDogRacing’.
- – Regular updates with Trent Langskaill on RSN Racing and Sport (927 AM).
- – Coverage of the TAB Australian Cup Final with Andrew Copley from 8:55pm on 3AW (693 AM).
At the other end of the scale, rising young trainer Daniel Gibbons is eyeing his first Group 1 victory with Silver Chief placegetter Titan Blazer (Box 8), and Lee Moore is contesting his first ever Group 1 event with $28 heat surprise packet Orlando (Box 1).
Despite being first reserve, superstar Aston Rupee, which became the first sprinter to complete the Topgun–Temlee invitational double on the opening night of the Australian Cup Carnival, is $2.30 favourite.
Here’s a rundown of the contenders:
Group 1 TAB AUSTRALIAN CUP FINAL (525m)
The Meadows, Saturday 9:03pm
First prize $300,000
1 ORLANDO
Trainer: Lee Moore, Bagshot VIC
Breeding: June 2019 Fabregas x Dewana Dimie
Record: Won 11 from 24
The Meadows PB: 29.80 seconds
TAB fixed odds: $19
Trainer Says: “He’s never run poorly at The Meadows and Box 1 is a bonus, as long as you jump. If he begins, he can hunt up and be somewhere near them.”
2 DAPH’S ASCEND
Trainer: Andrea Dailly, Anakie VIC
Breeding: November 2018 Fernando Bale x Zippy Daph
Record: Won 15 from 68
The Meadows PB: 29.73 seconds
TAB fixed odds: $7.50
Trainer Says: “She’s a nice type, but she’ll have to be in the first couple early to have a chance.”
3 ZIPPY TESLA
Trainer: Andrea Dailly, Anakie VIC
Breeding: August 2019 KC And All x Zippy Daph
Record: Won 8 from 28
The Meadows PB: 29.60 seconds
TAB fixed odds: $3.50
Trainer Says: “He’s racing beautifully; he’s in with a good chance. He’s not a brilliant box dog but musters quickly.”
4 LALA KIWI
Trainer: Andrea Dailly, Anakie VIC
Breeding: May 2019 Aussie Infrared x Lala Shim
Record: Won 19 from 48
The Meadows PB: 29.61 seconds
TAB fixed odds: $3.30
Trainer Says: “She’s just a very good sprinter. Hopefully it will be her turn this time.”
5 IMMUNITY
Trainer: Jason Thompson, Pearcedale VIC
Breeding: December 2018 KC And All x Captivating
Record: Won 20 from 34
The Meadows PB: 29.74 seconds
TAB fixed odds: $5
Trainer Says: “Her record shows she’s a winner, she goes good at The Meadows, and she can run the time that’s needed to win the race. From the draw, she’s going to have to do everything right, but she’s very capable of doing that.”
6 PADDY WANTS PATS
Trainer: Kelly Bravo, Freshwater Creek VIC
Breeding: August 2019 Black Magic Opal x Striker Light
Record: Won 12 from 31
The Meadows PB: 29.75 seconds
TAB fixed odds: $7.50
Trainer Says: “It depends on what happens early but if he finds the lead, he’ll be hard to run down.”
7 GYPSY BUN
Trainer: Andrea Dailly, Anakie VIC
Breeding: August 2018 Fernando Bale x Dyna Gypsy
Record: Won 22 from 90
The Meadows PB: 29.83 seconds
TAB fixed odds: $26
Trainer Says: “She’s in career-best form. But she’s up against it; she really needed to draw near the ‘fence’.”
8 TITAN BLAZER
Trainer: Daniel Gibbons, Avalon VIC
Breeding: November 2019 Mepunga Blazer x Miss Tron
Record: Won 14 from 28
The Meadows PB: 29.80 seconds
TAB fixed odds: $13
Trainer Says: “It’s one of the worst boxes he could’ve drawn. He needs to avoid any sort of contact getting around the first corner to have a chance.”
Reserves
9 ASTON RUPEE
Trainer: Glenn Rounds, Devon Meadows VIC
Breeding: April 2019 KC And All x Aston Miley
Record: Won 22 from 40
The Meadows PB: 29.47 seconds
TAB fixed odds: $2.30
10 RICCARTON RICK
Trainer: Robert Redenbach, Cranbourne VIC
Breeding: November 2018 Walk Hard x Rosie Riccarton
Record: Won 14 from 54
The Meadows PB: 29.95 seconds
TAB fixed odds: $15
TAB AUSTRALIAN CUP HEAT WINNERS
Saturday 19 February
(fastest to slowest)
29.61sec Lala Kiwi
29.74sec Immunity 
29.75sec Zippy Tesla
29.80sec Daph’s Ascend
29.83sec Gypsy Bun
29.86sec Orlando
29.87sec Paddy Wants Pats
29.92sec Titan Blazer
Group 1 TAB FANTA BALE SUPER STAYERS FINAL (725m)
The Meadows, Saturday 8:18pm – First prize $100,000
1 OVERFLOW LISA (Robert Camilleri, Lara VIC)
2 ORCA (Steve Nagy, Traralgon VIC)
3 FLYING LANTERN (Tim Britton, Lara VIC)
4 MEPUNGA RUBY (Jeff Britton, Anakie VIC)
5 FERNANDO’S QUEST (Michelle Mallia, Avalon VIC)
6 MICKS RECALL (Jamie Hosking, Churchable QLD)
7 SIR TRUCULENT (Walter Harkins, Jervois SA)
8 BECK’S MONELLI (Robert Camilleri, Lara VIC)
Reserves
9 HERE’S TEARS (Rob Britton, Lara VIC)
10 DRAKO BALE (Andrea Dailly, Anakie VIC)
Click HERE for the latest TAB Fanta Bale Super Stayers Final market
RECENT AUSTRALIAN CUP WINNERS
2012 Zara Zulu (Rosalyn Hume, Wattle Flat VIC)
2013 Spud Regis (Andrea Dailly, Anakie VIC)
2014 Buckle Up Wes (Edward Medhurst, Mangalore TAS)
2015 Luca Neveelk (Gerald Kleeven, Denison VIC)
2016 Dyna Double One (Andrea Dailly, Anakie VIC)
2017 Fanta Bale (Rob Britton, Lara VIC)
2018 Hecton Bale (Andrea Dailly, Anakie VIC)
2019 Dyna Patty (Andrea Dailly, Anakie VIC)
2020 Fernando’s Riot (Anthony Azzopardi, Rowsley VIC)
2021 Tommy Shelby (Steven Withers, Casuarina WA)
