The Unmissable Australian Cup Carnival rolls on this Saturday night headlined by the Australian Cup semi-finals and the Fanta Bale Stayers heats.

Last year saw a change in the conditions of the Australian Cup Carnival with the MGRA making the decision to extend the Australian Cup from a cutthroat two-week series to a three-week feature.

This year’s Australian Cup heat winners are joined in the four semi-finals by the placegetters from their respective heats as well as the entire field from the G1 Temlee, lead by the Thompson Trifecta; Tim Zoo, Flying Zulu & Excavation.

Saturday Night’s racing program will also feature three G1 Fanta Bale heats for the stayers, a 600m Rookie Rebel prelude and two semi-finals of GRV’s Vic Bred maiden series.

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The Australian Cup series heats up

Across the four semi-finals, we see some of the more mouthwatering clashes in recent memory with intrigue surrounding each of the four heats.

The third fastest greyhound to ever grace The Meadows 525m journey, Vincent Bale, has come up with the prized inside draw in the first of the four semi-finals but he will need to do everything right to overcome the likes of Dutch Riot, Zipping Hopkins & Daysea’s Rory.

The two fastest females in this series will do battle from tough draws in Lakeview Emily (6) & Mepunga Tully (7) have to cross the likes of Paw Oswald and even if they do, Flying Zulu will be kicking up along the rails like he did in his second placed effort in the Temlee.

Last year’s Australian Cup winner and last week’s Temlee winner Tim Zoo has been set a task in semi-final #3 having the ‘pink’ draw to contend with, as well as the likes of stars Smooth Plane, Hotel Whisky One & Deadly Avenger.

Two-time G1 winner and third placegetter in The Temlee, Excavation, is the sole Temlee runner in the final semi-final but he faces three individual Australian Cup heat winners in Canya All Class, Motion Sensor & Utrillo Bale.

Tim Zoo (7) roaring home to take out last week’s G1 Temlee. 

The stayers maintain the rage

The 2025 edition of the Fanta Bale will kick off with arguably the headliner of the series, multiple G1 winner Ethanol Water in heat #1.

Heat #2 looks to be a tricky little contest with plenty of speed expected in the race with the likes of Groovebird & Raya Star while the back half of the race is expected to be the domain of the likes of Irish Millie & Infra Rock.

NSW star Late Night News after bypassing last week’s Zoom Top, will join the party in Heat #3 but faces stiff competition in the likes of Pass Mark and Unreal Speed the latter of which is fresh off a phenomenal first-up performance in the Zoom Top.

Lanfranco (2) taking out last week’s G1 Zoom Top.

The middle distance takes centre stage

The Rookie Rebel prelude, while not an exemption race into next week’s Group 1 Rookie Rebel, is expected to provide a final ‘audition’ for greyhounds in contention for the hand-picked middle-distance feature on February 22.

Recent listed grade winner, Stomping, will look to make it four wins on the bounce while the very talented Warm Cockles will step up to the 600m for the first time after being bundled out of the Australian Cup series last week.

Could Garry Stun On continue his good form at start #101? Multiple G1 finalist Tully Luna & Mister Easy also look among the chances.

It is expected that star NSW stayer, Palawa King, will nominate for next week’s Rookie Rebel.