Caption: It Wasn’t Me (Garry Gilbert) storms into the Capalaba Cup Final with her heat win over Saanvi. (Photo: Just Greyhound Photos)
By Pat McLeod
Ipswich trainer Garry Gilbert ‘over-shot the runway’ and has landed two runners in Sunday’s Group 2 TAB Capalaba Cup Final (366m).
Not only has he in-form It Wasn’t Me exiting from box 5 in the straight track club’s top feature, he also has littermate Whistle Away coming from the reserves bench into the final (box 4).
His second Cup slot has come via the scratching of All Lies Ahead (Stephen Keep).
“I had targeted both dogs at the Cup Consolation, but I over-shot the runway,” Gilbert says with a laugh.
“The Consolation is worth really good money ($12,025 to the winner) and I thought that was a good target.
“It Wasn’t Me is a pretty good bitch, but there are probably five or six dogs in the Cup final that have three lengths on her.
“I think it is brilliant that we are in the final.
“She starts well and it won’t surprise me if she is leading early and they will have to catch her, but this is a very hot final.
“I had hoped there would be no scratchings to the final field so that Whistle Away would get his chance in the consolation.”
Both It Wasn’t Me and Whistle Away come from the ownership of Gary Dodt, who has had a lengthy ‘partnership’ with Gilbert.
In fact, of the 11 pups from Dodt’s Fernando Bale x She’s Whistling litter, six are in Gilbert’s kennels and make up his entire race team.
“I started training for Gary about 12 years ago,” Gilbert says.
“These days I just mainly train his dogs.
“He is a pretty hands-on owner who helps me train them.”
This current litter is showing plenty of promise.
All 11 pups have had race starts and all have won. Their combined prizemoney is almost $300,000 and together they have won 75 races.
It Wasn’t Me and Whistle Away have won the most prizemoney – It Wasn’t Me: 35 starts for 14 wins, six placings and $57,295 in prizemoney; Whistle Away: 31 starts, eight wins, 17 placings for $49,358.
Gilbert says he will need luck to be successful in his first ever Capalaba Cup final.
“All the runners are pretty well boxed,” he said.
“Most are where they want to be.
“It Wasn’t Me likes the middle and that is where she is on Sunday.
“Her recent form has been good. She has won her last five, including a Qgold at Capalaba.
“But this is a very tough race.”
The darkest shadow over the Cup final is reigning champion, Tom Tzouvelis’ Valhalla, who will jump from his preferred box 8.
The ‘King of Capalaba’, whose prizemoney haul recently ticked over the $300,000 mark, is coming back into his best form for this race.
Tzouvelis also has Simply Express, coming out of box 7.
But there are big dangers on the inside as well with Bad Boy Wilson (Dyllan Heddles, box 1) and Man Of Zeal (Glen Goodwin, box 2) setting the equal fastest heat time (19.34).
