Anakie-based Angela Langton will supply half the field in the Group 3 Carlin & Gazzard MG Mount Gambier Cup (512m) on Sunday.
Langton produced two heat winners – Keep It Blue (29.52sec – Best) and Blazing Times (29.83) – and two second placegetters – Keep It Black and Weblec Ranger, which posted overall times of 29.61sec and 29.67sec respectively, from yesterday’s six heats at Tara Raceway.
It was a remarkable training performance and Langton will collect more than just a $26,000 first prize if Weblec Ranger snares the event.
“On ability, my preference is Keep It Black.”
A $10,000 bonus applies to any greyhound winning the G3 Murray Bridge Cup-Mount Gambier Cup double and a $5000 bonus is allocated to any trainer winning both races.
Weblec Ranger landed the ‘first leg’ – and a $26,000 winner’s cheque – on March 20. He was also a finalist in last year’s G3 Great Chase at The Meadows.
Keep It Blue was a finalist last year in the G3 Warragul St Leger, Geelong Derby and Warrnambool Derby, while litter brother Keep It Black also contested the Warragul St Leger and was a finalist in the Cranbourne Classic.
And Blazing Times is a six-time winner on Victoria’s metropolitan tracks.
In assessing her chances, Langton said: “On ability, my preference is Keep It Black.
“But the worry is Blazing Times (Box 1) wants to get off the track. I’m hoping he doesn’t cause interference to the ‘two’ (Keep It Blue) and ‘three’ (Keep It Black).”
GROUP 3 MOUNT GAMBIER CUP (512m)
Sunday 10 April – $26,000 to the winner
- BLAZING TIMES (Angela Langton, Anakie VIC)
- KEEP IT BLUE (Angela Langton, Anakie VIC)
- KEEP IT BLACK (Angela Langton, Anakie VIC)
- MIDNIGHT BLAST (David Peckham, Allendale East SA)
- WHOLE WAY (Tracie Price, Compton SA)
- DEPARTURE GATE (Jason Newman, Moorak SA)
- QUINLAN BALE (Daniel Gibbons, Avalon VIC)
- WEBLEC RANGER (Angela Langton, Anakie VIC)
Reserves
- RHONDA LILY (Tracie Price, Compton SA)
- DEVEL SIXTEEN (Jessica Sharp, Avalon VIC)
Heat winners
(fastest to slowest)
- Keep It Blue – 29.52sec
- Midnight Blast – 29.54sec
- Quinlan Bale – 29.60sec
- Departure Gate – 29.61sec
- Whole Way – 29.72sec
- Blazing Times – 29.83sec
Langton added she expected her quartet to improve from the experience on the track, highlighting Blazing Times “lost a lot of ground tracking wide”.
And she says Weblec Ranger will be suited in box eight. “I think he likes it out there; he won the Murray Bridge Cup from the ‘pink’.
“It’ll give him a chance to muster early and help him get across.”
Blazing Times with handler Callie Wilson following his 29.83sec heat win.
Langton’s ‘fab four’ will be joined by Victorian counterpart Quinlan Bale (three wins from only five starts) – prepared at Avalon by Daniel Gibbons – which won his heat in a slick 29.60sec.
And another Avalon speedster, 2021 G1 Golden Easter Egg finalist Devel Sixteen – trained by Jessica Sharp – is the second reserve.
Pawnote: Also yesterday, albeit nearly 850 kilometres away, Manila Dusk (13 wins from 38 starts) – prepared at Toolleen by Aaron Debattista – booked a berth in the Broken Hill Cup (525m) courtesy of a 30.60sec heat win. It was his fourth successive victory. Debattista also scored with Break Ranks in an Outback Maiden heat.
WATCH: KEEP IT BLUE (7) sets the heats time standard in 29.52sec.
