“When I started training, all I wanted to do was win a trophy or a sash.”
Those were the words of Daniel Gibbons before Titan Blazer contested the Group 1 Australian Cup Final (525m) in February.
Nine months on, Daniel and his wife, Rebecca, have the opportunity to claim the world’s greatest greyhound race – the Group 1 Sportsbet Melbourne Cup (515m) – with Titan Blazer in Saturday night’s $1 million final at Sandown Park.
“Peter Arnott was offered money to sell him, but thankfully, he made the right decision to keep him.”
Titan Blazer has been a special greyhound for Team Gibbons since his third-place finish in the Group 1 Silver Chief Final (525m) at The Meadows on January 1.
Since then, he has contested finals of the Group 2 Warragul Cup (460m), Australian Cup, Group 1 Harrison-Dawson (515m) and finished third in the Group 3 Silver Bullet (525m).
Titan Blazer won for the 21st time from 56 starts last Saturday night in a nailbiting photo finish over dual Group placegetter Amron Boy, which led to Rebecca shedding tears after “No. 1” appeared on the semaphore board to signify the win.
WATCH: TITAN BLAZER (B1) just outlasted an unlucky AMRON BOY (B6) in the sixth heat of the Group 1 Sportsbet Melbourne Cup in a time of 29.57 seconds.
“We’re still in shock,” Daniel Gibbons said.
“We thought he was finished a few months ago because he wasn’t racing with his usual zest.
“Peter Arnott (owner of Titan Blazer) was offered money to sell him, but thankfully, he made the right decision to keep him.”
Time away from the track has made all the difference to Titan Blazer returning to form since resuming on August 14.
“The two months off has done him the world of good. When we were loading the van to go to other race meetings just before he returned, he was in his kennel just itching to race.”
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Daniel and Rebecca are happy with box 2 for the Sportsbet Melbourne Cup Final, but Daniel admitted the greyhound drawn inside of Titan Blazer is the one to beat.
“He’s finally drawn a box in a final, so we’re happy about that.
“He can lob behind Plaintiff and follow him. I think Plaintiff’s got it (the Melbourne Cup) in the bag.”
It could be a banner night because Daniel and Rebecca also have Emani Bale running in the Group 1 Sportsbet Bold Trease Final (715m) after she finished second to Stagger Out Lee last Saturday night.
“She just continues to race at one pace.
“If it was 1000 metres (instead of 715 metres), she would be a real chance.
“She will need a bit of luck.”
A Group 1 triumph would cap a watershed 12 months for Team Gibbons as they have broken their feature-race hoodoo with greyhounds such as Quinlan Bale (Victorian Straight Track Championship and The Arrow), Yahiro Bale (Group 3 SA Oaks) and Kelsey Bale (Silver Bullet).
