I’ll always remember where I was when I heard Fernando Bale had been retired.
It may not have been a history changing moment of the scale of man walking on the moon or the fall of the Berlin Wall, but in the world of greyhound racing, the white and brindle chaser had achieved more than any before him. He created history seemingly with every start.
We were at the staff Christmas party, celebrating the end of the club’s busiest seven weeks of the year. With no line of sight for any of the sporting events on at the time, I took a glance through Twitter and came across a tweet from Sky Racing:
#BREAKING Fernando Bale retired to stud immediately after a back injury in last start. #FlyingFernando
— Sky Racing (@SkyRacingAU) December 18, 2015
I stopped and stared at the tweet for a few moments, it didn’t really sink in at first. Fernando Bale had won the previous night. His next group 1 assignment, the Paws of Thunder, was only a few weeks away. But now his racing career was over, just like that.
Fernando Bale, for those who don’t know, won 35 of his 44 starts, a record eight of which were at group 1 level. He is the only greyhound to hold split records at three city tracks (Sandown Park, the Meadows and Wentworth Park), and ends his career with $1,299,370 in prize money, the most prize money won by a greyhound. In the world. Ever. Check out this link to see how extraordinary his racing career has been.
I have to admit, I didn’t get on board with Fernando Bale until well into his career. He was well beaten in his first two starts, and the three wins he had recorded by the time he made his first Sandown start (his seventh career start) certainly didn’t give any indication of what lay ahead. I remember watching his Sandown debut – race 12 on Thursday 15 January – but not because of what he did. Future Horsham Cup winner and multiple group finalist Margins jumped from box 8, dropped behind the field, cut hard to the fence and turned in one of the best railing performances you’ll see from a greyhound. Usain I’m Nutty put in a solid run for third and would go on to win the Launching Pad a few months later. Fernando Bale jumped from box 7, bumped into the six at box rise and ran an inconspicuous fifth some 13 lengths from the winner. It wasn’t until well into his career that I even realised he was even in that race, the last time in 11 months and 33 races that he’d finish out of the money.
Something clicked with Fernando Bale after that run. He travelled to Wentworth Park and in the first two weeks of the National Derby series he showed extraordinary early pace to win his heat and semi final in comprehensive fashion. But it was his run in the final that really made you sit up and pay attention. He missed the start from box seven but showed tremendous acceleration – and chase – to burst through to the lead and win the first of his eight group 1 titles. Fernando Bale was beginning to show that he was more than a one trick pony – this was a serious race dog.
By the time he came back to Sandown Park the hype was building. He had added the Golden Easter Egg by then in what can only be described as a faultless three weeks of racing – he led all of the way in all three weeks and broke 29.50 each time. In consecutive Free For Alls at Sandown he ran 29.10, then 29.04. Then, in a heat of the Harrison-Dawson, he became the second dog to break the 29 second mark, running 28.98 to be just two one-hundredths outside of Bekim Bale’s track record.
On the way, he equalled the first split record (4.90), and broke the second split record – jointly held by Black Magic Opal and Xylia Allen no less – by an incredible 2.5 lengths.
I’m lucky in my position as the Racing Manager that I get to watch the races from basically any vantage point I choose, and as a racing fan first and foremost I consider it to be a perk of my position. I watched his races from behind the boxes throughout the May Carnival, and it was there that his popularity really began to sink in. There’s a lot of money at stake during our racing carnivals, but despite his dominance, rival trainers were just excited to see Fernando race as I was. Never was there any hint of jealousy, none could say a bad word about him. How could you, at around this time he was practically flawless.
Like the rest of the greyhound racing community, I was now well and truly a fan of Fernando Bale. It was about this time that he was proving himself as not only one of the best chasers of his generation, but one of the most popular ever. He had already won over the industry, and now social media in its various platforms was buzzing about Fernando Bale. He began trending on Twitter whenever he ran, and anything Fernando Bale related on Facebook instantly became among the most popular and engaging posts. He was starting to bring people back to the track.
In October, he became the first greyhound in the world to surpass $1m in prize money, a mark that had eluded so many wonderful greyhounds before him.
Entering the Melbourne Cup series, the promotional circus was in full swing. Social media Q&As, Herald Sun photo shoots, extended radio interviews and even a feature piece on channel 9. The hype, the pressure, the expectations – it’s a good thing he didn’t know what was going on! His trainer would have though, and I have to say that Team Dailly – Andrea, her husband Tom and his brother George – couldn’t be more accommodating in all of the industry’s promotional efforts around Fernando Bale. It’s fair to say the team isn’t particularly keen on the promotional side of things, it’s certainly not everyone’s cup of tea. But when it came to Fernando Bale, the Daillys couldn’t have been more accommodating. They understood the impact he was having on the sport, and like everyone else they were excited to talk about him. For all of their help and support with our promotional efforts throughout his career, I can’t thank the Daillys enough.
On the back of seven straight wins, Fernando was sent to the boxes the $1.40 favourite, the shortest favourite ever in the 60th staging of the great race. Before then, the big crowd clambered over themselves to get a look at him in the parade yard. Mobile phones out, photos clicking, abuzz with what may happen next. It had become a familiar sight before all of his runs – even in the depths of winter people braved the elements to get a look at the champ.
I will never forget this year’s Melbourne Cup. Taking my position at the dais (Racing Manager’s discretion), I – like thousands of others on track and at home – fixed my gaze on box 6 and crossed my fingers that Fernando would jump cleanly. I try not to cheer home one particular dog in any race, there’s always a good story behind whichever dog wins. But this was different. His owner Paul Wheeler had suggested that the Cup would be his final race, and what a way it would be see him off!
The crowd was the most engaged I’ve seen in my 11 Melbourne Cups. The buzz before the start was as intense as anything I’ve experienced. Then… shock – Fernando had missed the start! The collective gasp from the crowd enveloped my position on the front straight. I had a million thoughts running through my head, it wasn’t how the race was supposed to be run. While the dais is as close to the action as one can get, you actually lose sight of the field as they make the turn. My last sight of Fernando was seeing him four wide and between runners.
Before the field re-emerged into sight, I knew he had found a way to take the lead – the roar of the crowd had told me! It was like the mood of the entire venue had lifted, that order had been restored. But then there was the realisation the Fernando’s kennelmate, Dyna Double One, had got a clean run through and had the leader in his sights. Fernando out in front, his rival from a few kennels away hot in pursuit, it was the race that we had hoped to see.
The noise built as the two great chasers hit the line together. Had Fernando done enough? My first thought was Dyna Double One had nabbed him, as did race caller Brendan Delaney. It seemed to take an eternity for the numbers to appear on the board, perhaps he had hung on! But no, for the first time in eight encounters on the track, Dyna Double One had defeated Fernando Bale.
It wasn’t the fairy tale everyone had hoped for, but it was hard to be too disappointed. Two of the great chasers staged an epic battle, a contest befitting the richest greyhound race in the world. The crowd at the presentation was as big as any I’ve seen, everyone wanted to get a glimpse of not just the Cup winner, but the gallant runner up. It’s not often that a long odds on favourite gets beaten in a group 1 final and comes away with more respect and admiration than before the race. I’ve heard many good judges describe that run as the best of his career and I can see why, some feat considering he won eight group 1 races.
One of the great moments that night came during the presentation, when owner/breeder of the pair Paul Wheeler announced that Fernando would race on, the cheer was as loud as you’ll hear at a greyhound track.
Sadly, he would have just three more starts.
While it had been a number of starts since he had shown his devastating speed at box rise, he had lost none of his tenacity. His final race started the same way as the Melbourne Cup final – moderately away before showing brilliant acceleration to open a big lead down the back. This time there was no Dyna Double One to run him down. Fernando Bale would race to the line – and into retirement – a winner. At Sandown Park, the long odds favourite, in the best time of the night. As it should be.
Fernando’s race record speaks for itself. But in time, his prize money record will surpassed. His record times will eventually be broken. We may even see another match his group race record. But there will never be another like Fernando Bale. There was more to the dog than his tremendous acceleration, awesome mid-race speed and his tenacious will to win. He is the perfect kennel dog, completely unfazed by crowds, cameras and Racing Managers making a fuss about him. He was the complete package – when the sport most needed a hero, Fernando delivered in spades.
So thank you ‘Flying Fernando,’ enjoy retirement. You’ve earned it.
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