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Tangela Bale in full flight at Sandown Park. 📷 Jason Mckeown

  • Friday, 01 Mar, 2024,
  • by Peter Quilty

Tantalising ‘Tangela’

Titillating Tangela Bale aroused interest earlier this week with a scintillating near-record romp at Horsham.

Contesting a Mixed 4/5 (485m) on Tuesday night, Tangela Bale ($1.10F) exited box two and flew around the spacious Wimmera circuit in 26.71sec  – only 0.05sec (just under one length) outside the 26.66sec track record set by Soda Titan on February 5, 2022.

Roll on 72 hours and tantalising Tangela Bale – prepared at Lara by Rob Camilleri – will be out to ‘seduce’ her rivals in Heat 4 (Race 8, 9.50pm) of the Group 2 Sportsbet Horsham Cup (485m) on Friday night.

Once again, she’ll jump from the ‘check’ trap – from where she’s won three times in five starts. And she’ll be out to prove she’s no ‘one-hit wonder’.

Tangela Bale, who is the $2.30 top elect on Sportsbet, will match motors with G2 Warragul Cup runner-up Nature Strip (Box 3, $3.90) and resuming G1 Melbourne Cup hero Aussie Rocks (Box 6, $4).

“On what she’s shown us… she’s capable of breaking the track record.”

She also looms as a likely surprise packet in the Horsham Cup series at $9 on the ‘All In’ market behind champion trainer Jason Thompson’s dynamic duo – Explicit ($2.20) and Verdi ($8.50).

Those in the know may have more than a nibble at her juicy odds!

Since commencing her career on April 30 last year, vanquishing her opponents with a 10L victory at Warragul, Tangela Bale (Apr ’21 Dyna Villa x Quail Bale) has notched 14 wins (with seven seconds and five thirds) from 34 starts.

She’s also had six starts over 485m at Horsham for two wins, one second and two thirds.

WATCH: “Tangela Bale runs them into the ground.” TANGELA BALE (B2) clocks a near-record 26.71sec at Horsham on February 27.

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“On what she’s shown us, if all the stars align, she’s capable of breaking the track record,” Camilleri said. “I’m confident she can run a similar time, if not quicker, if she finds the front.”

Camilleri adds Tangela Bale “has really come out of her shell in the past month”.

“She’s one of those dogs that niggling injuries have held her back. But she’s now enjoying an uninterrupted preparation and getting her confidence back.

“Early days she was very quick early and if she can add that back to her repertoire, she’ll go places.”

Camilleri is also content with Tangela Bale’s box draw.

“She wants to be ‘inside’. She just needs a clear run in the first 10-15 metres.”

Pawnote: G1 Australian Cup winner Tim Zoo, who was second elect on the ‘All In’ market, is a shock scratching from the Horsham Cup series.

Peter QuiltyPeter Quilty

Peter Quilty

Peter Quilty has more than three decades of experience as assistant editor of Victorian Greyhound Weekly. He was editor of GRV monthly magazine The Adviser (2001-09) and owner/publisher of Australian Greyhound Monthly. He also served on the selection panel for the inaugural GRV ‘Hall of Fame’ inductees and for several years was an adjudicator on the Victorian GOTY. He’s also published greyhound racing yearbooks and wrote the ‘Bold Trease’ video script.

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