Dailly’s Dynasty Continues To Dominate
A name that is synonoumous with Group racing success is that of Andrea Dailly, whose kennel of stars once again displayed their ability to dominate the big races in taking out the Group One Golden Easter Egg final with rank outsider, Grigorieva Bale.
Starting from box four at 24/1, all eyes were on the competitor to his left, Punch One Out who went into the ‘Egg' final as a heavy favourite after a devastating 29.27 track record performance one week prior. Punch One Out's loss became the son of Turanza Bale and Kingston Bale‘s gain, as he began beautifully and used all of his 38kg frame, saluting in a smart time of 29.65. Co-trainer Tom Dailly, as expected was delighted with the result.
‘I was confident going into the race; I just knew if he jumped he would be very hard to run down. Once he got to the front I was just hoping he would hold on'.
The win sealed the second Easter Egg victory in two years for astute breeder Paul Wheeler, whose relationship with the Dailly family is one that exudes respect and trust, as Tom explains.
‘I'm just very lucky to reap the benefits and success of the Wheeler families breeding. We have a great relationship and have won some great races over the years'.
The Dailly-Wheeler relationship has produced some of the best greyhounds of our time including one of Dailly's personal favourites, Dyna Lachlan. Bursting on the scene back in 2009, the son of Go Wild Teddy and Benden Flex quickly shot to fame when he took out both the 2010 Group One Australian and 2010 Adelaide Cup in epic fashion. By the end of his career, the 31.4kg lightweight notched up an astonishing $438,215 in prize money and has now firmly cemented his place as a proven sire with his most promising prodigy Tomac Bale, saluting in the recent Group Two Launching Pad at Sandown in a near record time of 29.23.
Despite the many classy customers Dailly has had pass through his kennels, superstar Pororoca is one that will always have a special place in his heart. Pororoca was one of the most successful and popular greyhounds during the 2005/2006 season when he claimed the 2005 Group One Brisbane Cup in a brilliant exhibition of racing, setting a new track record of 29.66 over the 520m journey. A winner of 38 races across a multitude of tracks, strength and stamina was the son of Token Prince's notable trademark that was on full display when he took out the 2006 Group Two Cranbourne Cup with a powerful come-from-behind victory in 29.68.
The Dailly family which includes Andrea along with husband Tom and brother-in-law George operate out of Anakie (approximately one hour from Melbourne) in Victoria. They primarily rear their own offspring and are one half of the dominate Wheeler combination that continues to produce Group winning greyhounds. With all their success it would be hard to single out one moment according to Tom:
‘We have had so many great wins. Winning the big Group One's gives us all a real thrill. Melbourne Cup, Australian Cup and now the Easter Egg have all been our biggest moments'
It's hard to believe that team Dailly's first Melbourne Cup victory did not occur until 2011, when their Greyhound of the Year recipient Dyna Tron clocked a sizzling 29.22 in the final at Sandown. The son of Collision and Gold Rush Bale also went on to win the Group One Hobart 1000 and the Group Two Geelong and Horsham Cup's during a stunning 2011 campaign, in the process racking up over half a million dollars in prize money and earning him a spot on the highest money winners of all time.
At present Andrea Dailly is the leading trainer at The Meadows with 120 winners so far in 2013 and leads overall on the Victorian Metropolitan trainers list with 235 winners and a strike rate of 18.20%.
The year is just warming up for the Dailly kennels, although last night's racing from Sandown has seen their team suffer a major setback.
Dailly's had their sights set firmly on the Group Two Warrnambool Cup with Easter Egg hero Grigorieva Bale who would've been looking to push his prize money total over the half a million dollar mark. Unfortunately Grigorieva Bale suffered a career ending fractured hock contesting an Sandown Free For All event worth just $6,000 to the winner.
On a side note – the pattern of fractured hocks suffered by “Bale” greyhounds with enormous ability in recent times, such as Bekim Bale, David Bale and now Grigorieva Bale; must be a cause for concern for the Wheeler breeding dynasty who own the Bale greyhounds.
However, as has happened in the past the Dailly's will push past this immediate impediment and forge on to greater heights with undoubtedly many more illustrious wins to be added to their already impressive total. If you want any more proof of this, look no further than the tragedy of this years Adelaide Cup semi finals. It took them just seven days to bounce back and win the Group 1 final.Don't be surprised to see a Dailly runner take out the Group 2 Warrnambool Cup in Grigorieva Bale's absence.
The Dailly's look set to be a force to be reckoned with in 2013.