After six weeks on the sidelines, co-trainer Tom Dailly has declared superstar Shima Shine is ready to go in Friday night’s Group 2 Evans Petroleum Warragul Cup heats.
Brilliant winner of the Group 1 Topgun four starts back, Shima Shine hasn’t raced since finishing last in the Melbourne Cup Final on November 27.
But he’s $1.75 favourite for the third Warragul Cup heat and also sits atop TAB’s all in market at $4, ahead of fellow sprinting luminaries Simon Told Helen and Tiggerlong Tonk, both at $6.
Shima Shine is ideally drawn in box eight, from where he boasts a fantastic seven from nine career strike rate, while he’s won two of three starts at Warragul, but hasn’t raced there since the Group 3 St Leger Final back in August, 2019.
“He pulled up a bit ordinary after the Melbourne Cup and needed a couple of weeks off but he’s been trialling well and he’s right to go,” said Tom Dailly.
“He’s drawn the pink, which will suit him perfectly, and he’s raced well at Warragul previously so he should be hard to beat.”
The powerful Dailly kennel has another key Warragul Cup player in Faithy Bale, brilliant all-the-way winner of her last three starts at Sandown Park, clocking 29.29s, 29.22s and most recently 29.26s last Thursday.
Faithy Bale will contest the sixth and final heat, where she’s the $3.50 second elect from box six, behind Gippsland pin-up Catch The Thief, $1.85 favourite from box eight.
“She’s been going really well at Sandown,” Dailly said.
“Hopefully she can use her early pace and jump on the bunny. She’s up against Catch The Thief but if she comes out like she has been at Sandown I can’t see why she wouldn’t be able to win.
“She’s never raced at Warragul before but she went up to Richmond for the Million Dollar series and had never been there before and went really well (30.45s) so I don’t think that will worry her.”
Team Dailly also has Tiberia Bale (heat 1, box 1), Nevilla Bale (heat 3, box 1), Providence Bale (heat 4, box 2) and Jax Bale (heat 5, box 4), all of which, like Faithy Bale, will be on debut at Warragul, engaged in the heats.
“Tiberia Bale is a bit slow early and the 460m might be a bit short for him but he’s drawn the red, which will help, and he’s run some good times at The Meadows lately,” Dailly said.
“Jax Bale has been going a bit ordinary but hopefully taking him somewhere different might spark him up.
“Nevilla Bale might find it a bit tough but after he ran 29.78s at The Meadows last Saturday we decided to give him a crack at it.”
