Two of Victoria’s finest greyhounds are chasing breakthrough Group 1 victories at Saturday night’s Perth Cup meeting – Tiggerlong Tonk in the Perth Cup (520m) and powerhouse stayer Sunset Bourbski in the Galaxy (715m).
Trained by Andrea Dailly, Sunset Bourbski, a superbly bred daughter of Fernando Bale and Bourbski Fever (winner of the G1 Bold Trease for ‘Team Dailly’ in 2015), will be striving to emulate her mother’s feat in her fifth G1 appearance.
Sunset Bourbski ran third in both the Zoom Top and Fanta Bale Super Stayers during this year’s Australian Cup Carnival, while she also contested the Topgun Stayers and Bold Trease in late 2020, but her Achilles heel at elite level is her lack of early pace.
“She’s one of the fastest stayers in Australia,” co-trainer George Dailly said.
“She just needs luck because she’s always running last and has to work her way through the field.
“Before she went over to Perth she broke the 660m record at Ballarat in a trial and then she went back there seven days later and broke it again by three or four lengths.
“She won the (G3) Speed Star, which was no surprise at all because the two-dog format suits her down to the ground.”
Sunset Bourbski made an eye-catching Cannington debut in the Galaxy Prelude, where she conceded WA star Zack Monelli the best part of 10 lengths before storming home to go under by only three-quarters of a length.
She then started $1.30 favourite in her heat last weekend and was a class above her local opposition, hitting the front mid-race and careering away in 41.65sec, her 17th win at start 52.
Zack Monelli, trained by prolific mentor David Hobby, was the fastest qualifier (leading all-the-way in 41.39sec) and scored by a whopping 14.5 lengths to improve his unbeaten Cannington 715m record to five from five.
Zack Monelli was extremely competitive with the best stayers in the land during the Australian Cup Carnival, running fourth in the Zoom Top and Super Stayers after leading, with Sunset Bourbski interestingly beating him home on both occasions.
TAB has installed Zack Monelli (Box 6) as $1.80 Galaxy favourite, with Sunset Bourbski, which has drawn box one for the third time in her three starts at Cannington, the $4.20 second elect.
Former Victorian Jayville Slick (Box 2), now with Steve and Krystal Shinners, is the only other finalist at single figure odds at $6.
“If Zack Monelli is out in front, carving out those sectionals, it’s just about impossible to beat him,” Dailly conceded.
“Box one is probably the worst box for her because she needs to get a clear run and doesn’t like having other dogs around her.
“She can win. She’s capable of winning anything if she gets presented with the right run.”
The Galaxy final, worth $100,000 to-the-winner, is Race 8 on the Perth Cup card at 11.37pm AEST.
