After breaking their well-documented Group race hoodoo in last month’s G3 SA Oaks, Daniel and Rebecca Gibbons are set to claim another South Australian feature in Sunday night’s G3 Gawler Gold Cup Final (531m).
Kelsey Bale is Sportsbet’s $1.95 favourite for the $26,000 to-the-winner Cup – Race 8 at 8.21pm – after a barnstorming last-to-first heat victory on Monday on a night of extreme highs and lows for ‘Team Gibbons’.
Drawn in Box 8, Kelsey Bale started $1.25 in the third of six heats and despite a poor start proved to be a class above her local rivals.
The daughter of Feral Franky swept around her opposition to win running away by four lengths in 30.38sec, the second quickest qualifying performance, being shaded by the barest of margins by Came And Went (30.37sec).
“She was only a couple of lengths off the track record and her first and second sections were horrible!”
It was Kelsey Bale’s third straight win and fifth from her last seven and gave her young Avalon trainers some consolation after litter sister McKeon Bale sustained a career-ending injury in the previous heat.
McKeon Bale also started odds-on ($1.45) and had the race in her keeping when she went amiss in the back straight.
“McKeon Bale broke her hock and she’s going back to Brendan (Wheeler) for breeding,” Daniel Gibbons explained.
“It sucks. When that happened to McKeon Bale and then Kelsey Bale missed the start, I wasn’t very happy.
“Kelsey Bale is such a weird dog. She can jump to the front and run flying first and second sections and stop at the finish, but then she can miss the start and run home in ridiculous times, like she did on Monday.
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“Her run home time was 14.08sec, which is insane. The other run home times in the heats were around 14.40sec and 14.80sec.
“She was only a couple of lengths off the track record (30.22sec) and her first and second sections were horrible!”
Kelsey Bale (Box 3) will be chasing a Group race breakthrough at her fourth attempt in Sunday’s Cup Final, with Gibbons hopeful a victory would boost her claims for a coveted berth in the G1 Topgun.
Third in both the G1 Maturity and G3 Warragul St Leger, Kelsey Bale has an excellent record at The Meadows, venue for the Topgun, winning four of her six starts over 525m with a flying 29.73sec PB.
“If she can win, that would put her right in the mix for the Topgun,” Gibbons said.
Box draw for Sunday nights Group 3 Gawler Gold Cup. pic.twitter.com/BiIRFngpTQ
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“She tends to jump a bit better when she draws near the inside.
“The two (Came And Went) is quick early, so if Kelsey Bale can follow it through and sit behind it, she won’t have any trouble running it down. She just needs a clear run.”
‘Team Gibbons’ has the first reserve in G2 Geelong Cup finalist Winnington Bale, which was also last early in a strong-finishing heat second.
In another injury blow, Gibbons reported that Yahiro Bale hasn’t started since her sensational SA Oaks victory due to a cracked fibula and she’s racing the clock to return in time for a Melbourne Cup tilt.
