Victorian superstar Shima Shine has long looked the successor to Simon Told Helen’s sprint crown.
He got a ‘sniff’ late last year, when he defeated “The Nose” by 2.5L in the Group 1 Topgun (525m) at The Meadows.
And now, in the week Simon Told Helen has retired, Shima Shine has timed things to perfection.
Trained by Andrea Dailly, Shima Shine sizzled in a G1 Gold Bullion heat (520m) at Albion Park last night.
Shima Shine ($1.50F) was near last away from the ‘pink’ trap but displayed explosive acceleration to lead clearly by the first turn. He then led his rivals a merry dance, scoring by 8.75L in 29.62sec (Best).
It was his 11th win from his past 16 starts, and his ninth win in 11 starts from Box 8.
He’s now quoted by TAB at $2.60F to secure next week’s $150,000-to-the-winner final from Box 4. He was $5 prior to the heats.
Meanwhile, Here’s Tears (41.72sec), prepared by Rob Britton, and Sunset Bourbski (41.78sec), trained by Andrea Dailly, also flew the Victorian flag with wins in the Listed Gold Cup heats (710m). Both will chase a $75,000 winner’s purse in the final.
