Toolleen trainer Daniel Pell will be choked with emotion if his “little darling”, Desiree Devere, takes out the GRV Vic Bred Series final (450m) at Ballarat tonight.
Pell, 42, and his mother, Bev, lost Desiree Devere’s grand-dam – Bubbles Devere – unexpectedly in early March.
Desiree Devere will once again be racing in memory of Bubbles Devere in tonight’s $3050-to-the-winner final. (Both ‘Deveres’ are named after characters from cult British sketch comedy Little Britain.)
“It’s a red-hot field and definitely better than the average fifth grade final,” Pell said. “I think her main dangers are Nadali (Box 2), Aeroplane Eric (Box 4) and Origami Angel (Box 8) who finished second in last year’s Group 2 Laurels.”
Desiree Desire clocked 25.23sec with an all-the-way heat win, only two lengths slower than Nadali (25.10sec) who set the heats time standard.
“She’ll need a little luck, but I can’t fault her form lately… And box seven will not be a concern if she begins like she has in her past 10 starts or so,” Pell said.
Prior to finishing second in last month’s Shepparton Matchmakers Classic final, Pell said: “You have to take on the better dogs to become a better dog.”
And in that respect, he believes Desiree Devere has “definitely gone up a level”. “She handles the pressure better and hasn’t taken a backward step.”
Desiree Devere (Box 7) is quoted at $6.00 by expert form analyst The Watchdog. However, Pell has a message for punters: “If the $6 is there, she’s each-way all day.”
Desiree Devere lines up in Race 7 Box 7 at 8.59pm.
