By Isaac Murphy
More than 60 hopefuls lined up across eight Ipswich Cup Heats last night, looking for a birth into next week’s Group 2 Final.
With only the winner going through from each heat, the competition was fierce making trainer Wayne Scott’s night all the more impressive after booting home four winners to own half of the final field.
However, he won’t have it all his own way, with a double from the Elson camp as well as a couple of flying beginners leaving the title up for grabs.
Farmor Watch Me would be the first to show out in the opening event, in what turned out to be one of the more dominant victories of the night - scoring by eight lengths in 30.37 seconds – and Scott thinks the dog has turned the corner at the right time.
“I’ve always had a fair opinion of him, he’s just taken a little while to come on but his last six to eight weeks have been excellent,” Scott said.
“He’s very versatile and can sit behind them or ping out like he did tonight.
“The prelude was an ideal race to have him ready for tonight, similar strength field to his heat and I thought he put the writing on the wall with that run when he just missed out stuck in behind dogs.
“He decided he didn’t want to be climbing all over their backs tonight and that’s the best he’s jumped.600 hundred eventually, so he wasn’t going to let up once he found the top.”
Scott didn’t have to wait long for his marquee runner and series favourite Farmor Beach to salute, but it wasn’t without its nervous moments as he missed the kick and spotted the leader five lengths.
“He’s a freak this dog, he’s so professional you forget he’s only been around since the Vince Curry in February and has had a couple of little setbacks in that time as well,” he said.
“Going down to Melbourne and losing a lot of weight, it took us a while to get him right.
“He left himself plenty of work to do tonight; Sumatran Star had a fair break on us, he’s going to have to be on the toe in the final - he won’t recover if he gives them that much of a start.
“In fairness to the dog, it was his first time back at Ipswich since the Vince Curry, he hasn’t trialled here or anything so we’re relieved to get him through and he’ll be better next week.”
Fernando Beach was well supported in heat five after the kennel’s early success and he flew out from his favourite draw, despite being on tired legs late he clung on in 30.66 seconds for the camp.
“The box was everything for him tonight, he’s always been a bit of a specialist out of the one and was able to pinch enough of a break early to hold on,” Scott said.
“His strength is something that’s cost him a lot of races, he’s run plenty of seconds so it was good to see him get one back.
“I don’t put him in the same class as Farmor Beach or Farmor Watch Me, he’s just an honest dog who’ll rely on a draw again next week.”
The quartet was complete by heat six, with the unheralded Mayoress demanding respect as she bolted in by eight lengths in what was the quickest time of the night (30.31 seconds) at the time.
“I’ve always been really excited about this bitch, from start one she was on the bunny running time, I was very close to putting her in the Million Dollar Chase,” Scott said.
“She’s always loved it here at Ipswich for some reason, she seems to find a few lengths and when they stacked up behind her, she showed what she could do.
“She doesn’t have a weakness, people had her pegged as an early speed runner, but she can do it down the back and on the way home too.”
The Scott runners looked to have a strangle hold on the Final until the last two heats of the night, before Cyndie Elson came to the party thanks to Listed Rising Stars winner Magical Hope along with Magical Bill.
Bill Elson spoke glowingly about both runners, in particular Magical Hope (right) who made it three on end.
“She’s going the best she ever has; she’d only seen Ipswich once before tonight’s run and she came out beautifully,” he said.
“I was hoping she’d go a little quicker than 30.5, they’re going to be running faster time than that next week, but this run should toughen her up a bit.
“She really needs to be drawn as close to the rail as possible, with the other speed dogs she probably won’t get across from out wide.”
Magical Bill was another highly fancied in the Rising Stars but ended up out the back in the Final, however clearly his confidence wasn’t dented with the slashing performance.
“That was a bit better than his last start, I thought he would win the Rising Stars - I actually had my money on him over Magical Hope - but there’s not a whole lot between them,” he said.
“I’m not too worried about where he draws, he can fly out from anywhere - he led them by four lengths out of the straight.
“If he’s running that time, he’s going to test all of them next week - he makes his own luck.”
Earlier in the night Peter O’Reilly’s prolific Ipswich winner Flying Jet somehow found the line first in a rough and tumble heat, with the dog bringing up a dozen wins at track and trip in the process.
“He’s a big dog and normally gets his own way at the first corner, but that was a rough house affair and he did really well to recover after being flattened,” O’Reilly said.
“We’ve been fortunate he’s always loved the track here at Ipswich, which is nice living just down the road, I think that’s a dozen wins now and probably his most important to date.
“He’s got a lot of similarities with Shakey Diesel this dog and probably even has a little more early burn than him, I’d love to see him on the fence for the final.”
Townsville Cup champion Hara’s Panda (right) was also a winner on the night in a trademark, front running performance for Michael Stephenson, and the trainer is reaping the rewards of a slow build up.
“I really took my time with him when he was young, used up every grade possibly at Ipswich, Albion and Capalaba to build him into the dog he is now,” Stephenson said.
“You can see in his racing tonight he knows he belongs in these Group races, this being his second final after winning the Townsville Cup.
“He might be a little outclassed by a couple of them but his early speed is his ace up the sleeve.
“I was a bit disappointed with his last run in the Rising Stars at Albion Park, but he’s bounced back with two and in row and won the important one.”