Meanwhile, in Heat 2, Australia’s No. 1 sprinter Tiggerlong Tonk was the raging hot favourite and expected to land his fifth win from his past six starts.
But he blew the start and it was promising prospect Jax Bale who came of age with a stunning all-the-way 29.14sec victory.
Trained by Andrea Dailly, Jax Bale ($6.10) defeated Tiggerlong Tonk ($1.50F) by 3.1L with Mepunga Pegasus ($12.20) a further 1.25L away third. G1 Australian Cup winner Fernando’s Riot ($6.40) was beaten almost 7.5L by the winner.
A last-start finalist in the G2 Warrnambool Cup (450m), Jax Bale snared his fifth win from only 12 starts. His winning time carved 6L off his previous best at Sandown.
Dailly is chasing her second Harrison-Dawson trophy, having won with megastar Fernando Bale in 2015. (She will also be represented by Leon Bale in the final.)
But don’t’ take anything away from Tiggerlong Tonk – champions are sometimes beaten but they’re never defeated!
He’s still a big chance to provide young trainer Correy Grenfell, 26, with back-to-back wins in the event. Grenfell scored last year with retired champion Orson Allen.
And, in Heat 1, a lot of interest centred on NSW star Good Odds Harada – a litter brother of retired superstar Feral Franky – who recently transferred to the powerful Rowsley kennel of Anthony Azzopardi.
But it was the Matthew Lanigan-trained Vivatar who left Good Odds Harada – Australia’s third-highest stakes earning greyhound ($1,283,355) – in his wake.
Vivatar ($3.70) produced a frontrunning 2.6L win over Lightning Blast ($44.70), with Leon Bale ($5.20) third, in 29.65sec. Good Odds Harada ($3.60F) finished fifth, beaten nearly 5.5L by the winner.
A dual Group 2 finalist (Geelong and Horsham cups), Vivatar registered his 16th win from 46 starts. He also notched his fifth win in nine starts from Box 1.
Listed below is the box draw for the G1 Harrison-Dawson final (515m) at Sandown on May 21.
