By Isaac Murphy
An Ipswich Sprint ambush could be in the offing during tonight’s Final for Bonnie and Clyde.
In recent months, Malcolm Ross hasn’t been able to access Queensland tracks like he typically would, but that hasn’t stopped the Northern Rivers trainer from putting in work at home, with brother and sister pairing, Phantom Clyde and Phantom Bonnie, winning for fun around Casino and Lismore and looming large over the Final.
Ross bred the Fernando Bale/Clover Cottage litter which has also produced Group finalist Jimary Star and all they have done is win from day one, but Ross was just thankful he now gets the chance to really test them.
“Down on the Northern Rivers they had both reached top grade pretty quickly and even though they were still winning you’re running around for $1700 in Free for All company,” he said.
“Luckily I spotted the Ipswich Sprint and with $2000 for the heat winners and over $8000 for the final I couldn’t get them up there quick enough, if you don’t try you never know.
“It’s been a tough year with the travel restrictions, I normally like to get my dogs up to Queensland from Northern New South Wales, but I’ve been wanting to test Bonnie and Clyde in a race like this for a while, I’ve got plenty of options with them.”
Ross only spotted the race at the last minute and made a mad dash to make sure the pair were in tip top shape for their heats.
“I was able to come up Monday morning before the heats and give them both a look at the track, I brought Jimary Star and Jimary Dynamite up as well and they all went really well, it was a worthwhile trip,” Ross said.
“Phantom Clyde was probably the best of them, he went 25.16 first look out of the boxes which I knew would be competitive, so I just got them back home for a couple of days and freshened them up for Thursday night.
“I thought the trip would suit them really well, my main concern was the first fifty to eighty metres, I knew if they found clear running down the back they’d be hard to beat, on their racing down here they just take off like jets and they did the same in the heats.”
Bonnie and Clyde were afforded no favours drawing six and five respectively, while not ideal Ross thinks their ability puts hem right in the frame.
“I was praying for a decent box draw for the final, but I said to my wife I bet hey draw alongside each other and of course they did,” he said.
“That’s racing though you can’t pick your boxes, they’ve both got enough class to get around that first corner and similarly to last week will be hard to beat.
“I’d put Clyde a little ahead of Bonnie at this stage, he’s got that extra gear that she can’t really match, but Bonnie has the better box manners of the two they’ve both got their claims.”
Litter brother Jimary Star has already made his mark as a five hundred metre dog and Ross thinks Bonnie and Clyde are on a similar trajectory.
“I’m hopeful they can both get over a bit more distance in time, the Casino Cup over the 484 metres is coming up in a couple of weeks and looks like a good steppingstone on their way to five hundred,” he said.
“I’ll probably bring them up at Albion Park where they are only Fifth Graders after the Cup and see if they can cut it over the five hundred metres, I’m fairly sure they both will it might just take a while and if not I know I’ve got two very good sprinters.”
Ross is also engaged in the Eddie Little Appreciation over the 732 metres with stayer Jimary Dynamite who’s one from one at the track and trip and has been set for the staying test.
“I took Jimary Dynamite up last week for a hit out over the 630 metres there at Ipswich with an eye to the Eddie Little Appreciation over the 732 metres this week, she ran home well and won’t have any excuses from box six tomorrow night,” Ross said.
“She’s seen a lot of tracks lately, Wentworth and Albion Park, she has won over the track and trip at Ipswich before, so I just wanted to reacquaint her.
“You don’t get races like this for true stayers like her very often, the distance won’t be a worry she loves to run I’d just like to see her towards the front early because if Waikarie Bell is camped on us she’s probably the only one who’ll come home stronger.”