CAPTION: Paris Will Wait dashes away for an easy win over 331m at Albion Park on September 17 last year. (Photo: Box 1 Photography)
By NEIL ARCHER
TRAINER Kevin Bryant has no concerns about his promising bitch Paris Will Wait stepping up to 531m for the first time when she lines up in her heat of the Bundaberg Cup Wildcard at Bundaberg on Monday.
There are two 531m heats of the Bundaberg Cup Wildcard on Monday with the winner of Wildcard final on February 26 gaining an automatic entry into the $75,000-to-the-winner Bundaberg Cup (531m) on March 11. The Cup heats will be run on March 4.
Paris Will Wait has so far won nine of her 16 starts – eight wins at Bundaberg and a 331m success at Albion Park last September.
She won by 14 lengths in 26.48 on debut at Bundaberg on July 10 last year and more recently has won four of her past five starts at that track over 315m and 460m.
“I don’t think the step up to 531m for the first time will be any issue,” said Bryant. “Her run-home times over the 460m have been good. She’s very quick and very gutsy.
“But she might need this run on Monday and will definitely improve the following week if she does get into the Wildcard Final.
“I’m not sure if she can beat the eight dog (the Tony Apap-trained Smart And Classy) on Monday, but I expect her to run very well.”
Bryant, based at Tiaro, only has a handful of greyhounds in his kennel these days and Paris Will Wait is by his former promising chaser No Easy Beat out of Nurse Meg.
Bryant owned No Easy Beat who showed great potential before a back muscle injury prematurely ended his racing career. Trained for most of his short career by Bryant’s great mate Rusty Dillon, No Easy Beat (Zambora Brockie-Lilly Sur Seine) raced just 16 times for eights wins and four placings.
He won five times at Albion Park, including an easy win in the 2019 Molly Campbell Silver Dollars (520m) in 29.65.
“No Easy Beat showed a lot of promise and it was very disappointing that the injury ended his racing career after just 16 starts, but that’s racing,” said Bryant.
The Tony Apap-trained Smart And Classy looms as the one to beat in Paris Will Wait’s heat on Monday. A 10-time Bundaberg winner earlier in his career for trainer David Plummer, Smart And Classy is coming off a last-start 8.25-length win at Ipswich last Saturday.
Last year’s Bundaberg Cup winner Springview Magic begins his quest for another crack at the feature when he lines up in the first Wildcard heat on Monday.
Now with trainer Brian Terry, Springview Magic was with Eric Conroy when he upstaged some of the state’s leading kennels in last year’s Bundaberg Cup. Springview Magic defeated the Selena Zammit-trained All Natural, who has since gone on to bigger things, while the Tony Zammit-trained pair Deemed A Liar and Go Bing finished third and fourth.
