Caption: The impressive trophies up for grabs during Victoria’s upcoming Dream Chasers festival. (Photo: BlueStream Pictures)

Victorian News With Ethan Christian

THE biggest and best festival of greyhound racing returns to Victoria this month as the state kicks off their Dream Chasers festival.

Spanning across November and December, the festival comprises of four nights of racing; TopGun, Melbourne Cup heats, Melbourne Cup and the Phoenix, with the latter being the sole December feature meeting for the festival.

 A smattering of other feature races are also set down for decision this month, albeit not officially a part of the festival.

The Meadows kick-starts feature racing on the eve of the thoroughbred Melbourne Cup, with the Group 3 Silver Bullet.

Staged over the 525m trip and worth $25,000 to the winner, it will surely serve as an appetiser for the upcoming feature races and attract a strong field.

The only likely exceptions are those selected in the TopGun who understandably won’t want a five-day back-up heading into a Group 1.

The Thompson kennel has won the race on five occasions (Seona with two and Jason with three), including an impressive unbeaten four-year stint between 2015 and 2018, and it will be of no surprise to see them have a strong hand in the field again this year given the strength of their kennel at present.

Also staged on Silver Bullet night are heats of the Group 1 Hume Cup over 600m.

Saturday, November 9 is the official start of the Dream Chasers festival, with three Group 1 races to be staged over the three metropolitan racing distances in a night of racing dedicated to the cream of the crop.

This includes the invitational TopGun (525m) and TopGun Stayers (730m), in addition to the Hume Cup (600m).

The sprint feature carries a $150,000 purse for the winners, while the middle and staying distances are worth $75,000 to the victor.

The Hume Cup will likely feature 2023 winner, Hector Fawley, in what would serve as his final attempt in the race given he’s nearly four years old.

The Cockerell family’s star chaser has undoubtedly owned the middle-distance ranks for some time, and at the time of writing is equal favourite with Canya All Class to take out the 2024 edition.

With the TopGun events being invitational, it is always an intriguing puzzle to piece together with who the selectors will lean towards.

In the TopGun Sprint, you can almost guarantee the likes of Explicit, Excavation, Mackenna and Morton will be starters.

Of the remaining Victorian brigade, it would be of no surprise to see selectors consider all of Smooth Plane, Blue Kermaro, Lakeview Emily and Tim Zoo, while interstate raiders Rinsed The Lot, Zipping Megatron, Bezzecchi, Power And Glory, and Good Odds Cobber can expect to be in the fold for a call-up.

The TopGun stayers invitational is a tricker equation to solve when you consider that a number of the invited greyhound’s connections may opt for the Hume Cup option over the shorter distance.

You can take to the bank that barring any refusal to attend or injury, all of Palawa King, Exploded, Ella’s Babe, Valpolicella and Aunt Virginia will be in the final field.

Connections of Drill Sergeant would not be shocked should their phone ring with a call-up, while the curious case of Ethanol Water and what Team Dailly will target her towards remains to be seen, but she appears to be a capable front-running stayer should she lineup.

The Shootout at Sandown Park on Friday, November 15 kicks off what is the biggest three weeks on the club’s calendar, culminating in the Group 1 Melbourne Cup on November 30.

The Shootout is a unique feature in that it’s a four-dog invitational race; one of the only of its kind on the national calendar.

The 2024 edition has slightly altered terms, however, with the two fastest winning times recorded at Sandown Park in race conditions between July 1 and November 12 given automatic entry to the race.

At the time of writing, this is currently Explicit and Vincent Bale. The remaining two slots will be open to nominations and the best two greyhounds nominated at the discretion of the club and GRV graders will be selected to compete.

You can expect those in the fold for the TopGun will also feature in the Shootout.

Team Greenough have won the last two editions of this race with Wow She’s Fast and Big Energy, but with their racing brigade currently racing over shorter distances, we will likely see a new name on the trophy for the first time since 2021.

Boracay Storm’s Bendigo Cup shock

It was a boilover in the Group 2 Bendigo Cup as David Geall’s Boracay Storm took advantage of an unimpeded run to salute as the rank outsider.

From box six, he was able to hold his position behind the leaders early, before scoring an inside run by virtue of leaders Mile A Minute and Hotel Whisky One checking one another.

Geall’s other runner, Aston Fantastic, jumped as favourite for the race and ran on into third without threatening the winner and kennelmate. Despite winning several country cups, most famously with Ferdinand Boy, this was Geall’s first victory in the Bendigo Cup.

A series proven for unearthing and elevating stars in recent times, the Group 3 Great Chase may have done just the same again this year.

Team Greenough, headed by Brad Greenough these days, prepared Epitomize for an impressive victory by a margin of over eight lengths.

At only start five, the son of Black Magic Opal maintained his unbeaten record, accounting for Team Erenshaw’s Flying Dinar and kennelmate Flaming Wheels.

In his only two starts in town to date, he has shown an impressive turn-of-foot off the mat, a trait which is sure to help him capture many more races as his career progresses.

 The Greenoughs are known for being astute with the placement of their chasers and while the temptation to jump into a Melbourne Cup campaign would entice most trainers and owners, the Greenoughs would only head that way should they believe it is the best next step for Epitomize.

  The Group 2 Cranbourne Cup final is to be staged as Chase Magazine goes to print but had pulled together an all-star final comprising of some of Victoria’s best talent. Of the heats, Morton was the most impressive with a fast victory over a gallant Vincent Bale whilst the ever-consistent Smooth Plane won his way through and reminded the greyhound racing public of what an underrated chaser he is.