Caption: Brad Belford, who rugged up a club-record seven winners at Townsville last night (Tuesday night). Photo: Louise Partland
Chase’s MIKE HILL highlights trainers who have celebrated multiple winners at meetings across the nation in the past week
PREMIER trainer Brad Belford created his own piece of history last night (Tuesday night) when he led in a career-best seven winners at Townsville.
And he was just half-a-head away from landing a ‘Great Eight’.
“That’s the first time a trainer has rugged up seven winners at Townsville,” club president Gary Heath said after the meeting.
“It’s never been done before and I don’t think it’ll ever be done again.”
Belford, who has been having his own battle with health issues, said landing the seven was a pretty good feeling.
“At the moment I’m not too bad,” he said. “Every day is a challenge, but every day I’m feeling a bit better. The dogs have kept me going.”
He admitted he had gone to the meeting believing he had good chance with his team.
“A lot were drawn close to where they wanted to be,” the trainer said.
“Even those in box five didn’t have a lot of speed around them and when a dog leads it makes a big difference.”
Belford, who has 30 dogs in work, praised his wife Jackie for her assistance during his illness.
“I couldn’t have done it without her,” he said. “She’s been wonderful with the dogs, giving them kisses and plenty of pats.”
His seven winners last night were Showtime Bruce ($2.90 fav), Midnight Image ($2.70), Jamie Tartt ($2.70 fav), Kiah Beach ($1.85 fav), Showtime Joe ($4.20), Orson Black ($3.50 fav) and Showtime Holly ($2 fav).
And Just Too Fancy, an $11 chance in the Best 8 Sprint (380m), just failed by a half-head to beat the Rhonda Essery-trained Miss Priddle ($4) and make it eight.
It was also a night of groupings for Belford after he won the first four races on the 12-race program and the last three.
And all seven winners came from just three boxes – the first two from box one, the next two from box three and the final three from box five.
Highlighting his dominance, in the past 18 days Belford has rugged up 24 winners at six meetings, including last night’s Magnificent Seven as well as a six-win haul – his third in nine weeks.
Based in the outer Townsville suburb of Gumlow, Belford has produced 141 wins so far this year, surpassing his full season tally of 128 in 2021.
“This is by far my best year ever as a trainer,” he said.
MEANWHILE, the powerful juggernaut that is Team Dailly has dominated racing at two Victorian tracks in recent days – at Ballarat mid-week and three nights later at Melbourne’s The Meadows – while in Darwin the Steele Bolton kennel continues its stellar year.
Based at Anakie, a rural township between Geelong and Bacchus Marsh, Andrea Dailly together with husband Tom and brother-in-law George, have become the dominant training team in the country.
Dailly, who currently leads the national trainers points table, was quickly in the winner’s circle at Ballarat producing $5 chance Ismay Bale for a narrow victory in the opening race – a Maiden over 390m.
She followed it up four races later with Indy Ghost ($6.30), a Droopys Jet sprinter, winning a Vic Bred Series final over 450m, then it was back-to-back wins a few races later.
Team Dailly led out four runners in race nine – a heat of a Maiden Series over 390m – and took home all the prizemoney with members of the same Allen Deed-Kachina Allen litter running one, two and three.
Besant Bale, the $18.50 outsider of the trio, proved superior beating siblings Andre Bale ($6.40) and Yarrell Bale ($16.40). The kennel’s other runner Trending Xara, the $2.90 favourite, finished fourth.
Another Allen Deed-Kachina Allen litter-mate, Todling Bale ($2.40 fav), was successful in the following race – another maiden heat over 390m.
The victories increased Dailly’s lead in the Ballarat trainers’ premiership where she has a 354-point advantage over Donna Knight.
Dailly produced another four winners at The Meadows on Saturday night – Foxy Bourbski ($7.60), Kanji Victory ($10.20), Flying Ocean ($5.80) and Kanji Exiled ($17.60) – while husband Tom rugged up Warringah Bale ($7.40) to give the kennel a five-win haul.
YOUNG NT trainer Steele Bolton looks certain to break 200 wins in a season for the first time.
He is only 15 wins away from his target after another big haul of winners at Darwin on Sunday night.
Bolton, a full-time electrician based at the Winnellie Park complex, led in a quintet of winners – More Beers ($3.70), Myrtle Monelli ($1.70 fav), Old School Cool ($4.70), outsider Pretty Witch ($29.50), and Beer Bandit ($5.50) – as well as two quinellas.
He is no stranger to rugging up multi-winners.
In late May he produced a career-best ‘seven’ at an eight-race Sunday meeting and followed it up a few months later with a haul of six.
Amazingly Bolton is currently in fourth spot on the national points tally behind big-name trainers Victorians Andrea Dailly and Mark Delbridge and Tasmania’s Anthony Bullock.
Earlier in the year, he praised his dedicated team headed by former Victorian trainer Jason Nibbs.
“Without Jason’s help I wouldn’t be having the success I am,” he said.
Bolton has been the leading trainer in Darwin for the past three years – rugging up 189 winners in 2020 and 190 last year.
“I set a target of 200 winners for myself at the beginning of the year,” he said.
On current form his team should smash that figure well before December 31.
Other trainers with group winners during the week included: Four wins: Ken Boody (at Rockhampton), Andy Lord (Wentworth Park), Tracie Price (Mt Gambier) and Chris Halse (Mandurah).
Three wins: Chris Halse (Mandurah), Christine Robartson (Mandurah), Pauline Byers (Ipswich), Peter Browns (Cannington), Darryl McGrath (Albion Park), Phil Goodsell (Nowra), Bosko Stamenkovic (Murray Bridge), Gary Johnson (Launceston) and Jedda Cutlack (Ipswich).
