After spending five months on the sidelines, strike rate sensation Blackpool Flash is set to complete a perfect return in Friday night’s $15,250 Glenview Cup final (395m) at Traralgon.
The widely-travelled speedster, which boasts 31 wins from 62 starts for Lara trainer Renee Kenyon and family, was on track for back-to-back victories in the Group 3 Birthday Cup at Mandurah in WA at the start of the year, when injury struck.
Blackpool Flash made his comeback in the heats of the $10,000 to-the-winner Glenview Cup last Wednesday (June 15), when runner-up to Freya Bale at his Traralgon debut.
“He went back to Perth to try and go back-to-back and had one start over there going into the heats and won – he was airborne – but he cracked a metatarsal,” Adrian Kenyon explained.
“We brought him home and nursed him along and probably threw him in the deep end first-up, but this race was there, so we might as well have a crack at it.
WATCH: BLACKPOOL FLASH (2) made an impressive return after a lengthy break when runner-up to FREYA BALE (1) in a heat of the Glenview Cup (395m) at Traralgon on June 15.
“I was really happy with his heat run. He hadn’t raced since January, and it was his first look at Traralgon – it’s too far to go to trial!
“We gave him a hit-out at Geelong on Monday and he went super.
“I generally don’t trial between races, but he was probably a run or two short for the heat and with the ten-day break before the final it worked in well. He’s pulled up perfect and is feeling a million dollars.”
Blackpool Flash’s task in Friday night’s final (Race 6 at 8.32pm), where the son of Fernando Bale has drawn Box 3, will become a little easier with the absence of prodigious talent Mr. Audacious, which would have started a warm favourite.
Mr. Audacious, winner of eight of his nine starts at Traralgon, had a seizure in the catching pen after his heat victory, and has been prohibited from racing for 28 days under the rules of racing.
“Mr. Audacious would have been very hard to beat, especially off ‘the pink’, with a clear run,” said Kenyon.
“It’s one less to worry about but another one goes in!
“I see no reason why Blackpool Flash won’t be in front at the first peg and then we’ll probably be hoping for a little bit of trouble behind him, which I think there could be because there’s a lot of speed in the race.
“I was only looking at his form today and to be honest, I didn’t realise he was 50 per cent wins. The way I look at it is that if dogs are in the prizemoney 50 per cent of the time, they’re earning money for you.
“But this dog wins every second start and I’m hoping that will be the scenario on Friday night!”
