Leading trainer Kel Greenough expects to learn a lot more about recent Group 1 Adelaide Cup finalist Spring Lilac when the South Australian import makes her Victorian debut at The Meadows on Saturday night.
Spring Lilac has won nine of her 29 starts but has arrived at Greenough’s boutique Pearcedale kennel enjoying a career best run of form, winning eight of her last 12 in SA.
The daughter of Fernando Bale upset high class Victorian duo Keep It Black and dual G1 winner Qwara Bale in an Adelaide Cup heat in late September before finishing at the tail of the field in the final.
Tackling 600m in Race 7 at 8.42pm, Spring Lilac (Box 2) is on the third line of TAB betting at $5.50 in a testing assignment against Group finalists Aston Ulysses (Box 1), Jarick Bale (Box 3), Tyler Durden (Box 6) and Whatever I Say (Box 7).
“Vadim Roz (SA trainer/part-owner) said to me she’s the best dog he’s ever had and asked if I would give her a try in Victoria and see how she goes,” Greenough said.
“I gave her a trial at The Meadows on Monday over 525m and she trialled nice, she went 30.04sec, which is a decent run on trial day, and she will go further.
“She’s won over 595m at Angle Park and 643m at Gawler and I said to Vadim she reminds me of a possible stayer.
“She needed to draw near the fence, so she’s drawn well, but it’s not an easy race and we’ll see how good she is.”
Greenough and wife Jacqui have two other chances at The Meadows in Perfectly Poised (Race 5, Box 7) and Aston Wise (Race 11, Box 2).
Aston Wise, a daughter of G1 winner Secret Spell and a litter sister to Greenough’s G2 Healesville Cup finalist Aston Geneve, has won three from 10, her victories coming in her past three starts at Sandown Sunday meetings.
Chasing four in a row, Aston Wise is $2.20 favourite, while $12 chance Perfectly Poised is looking for an overdue change of fortune.
WATCH:Spring Lilac (3) upstages Victorian stars Keep It Black (1) and Qwara Bale (6) to win a G1 Adelaide Cup heat at Angle Park on September 30.
Perfectly Poised, a daughter of Fernando Bale and Zara’s Entity, was an impressive winner of a Vic Bred Maiden series at The Meadows in August but has since been hamstrung by a steep rise in grade and a horrific run of box draws.
Almost unbelievably, Perfectly Poised has drawn Box 4 in seven of her last nine runs, being allocated 5 and 6 in the other two starts.
Perfectly Poised is a litter sister to boom stayer Zac’s Entity, whose career is on hold after an indiscretion in the G1 Topgun Stayers last weekend, with an obviously disappointed Greenough going back to basics in his search for answers.
“Zac’s Entity went to Peter Gavin the next day,” Greenough said.
“Peter’s an educator who thinks outside the square and I’ve posted some videos of Peter working with him on our Greenough Greyhound Kennels Facebook page.
“What do you do? He just had to finish off on Saturday. I could see Stanley Road was coming and it would’ve been very interesting. I think he might have held it off, but that’s only my opinion.
“The first thing I did the next morning was call Mark Gatt and Paul Bartolo and apologise and they were very good about it.”
