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Champion Pearcedale trainer Jason Thompson is chasing back-to-back Group 3 Cranbourne Classics (520m) on Saturday night.
Thompson won last year’s race with Taken ($11.50), and his hopes now rest with star sprinter Aston Fastnet who will play a lone hand for the locals in the $25,000 to-the-winner age-restricted feature event.
Aston Fastnet qualified for the final when third in a heat last week. At his previous start, he captured a $25,000 first prize in the G3 Warragul St Leger.
A rising star of the sport, Aston Fastnet has won 11 races from 24 starts. He was a recent finalist in the G1 Maturity Classic won by Australian sprint queen Qwara Bale at The Meadows.
Incidentally, Qwara Bale – who has also won the G1 Sapphire Crown and G2 Warrnambool Cup – was the fastest Cranbourne Classic heat winner (29.90sec) and part of a ‘clean sweep for Victoria’s leading trainer Andrea Dailly.
Based at Anakie, Dailly also snared heats with Shima Classic (29.99sec) and Lala Kiwi (30.04sec).
Contesting Heat 3, Qwara Bale ($1.80F) led from go-to-whoa before holding off a late rally by Hill Top Jack ($3.40) by 0.9L in a flying 29.90sec.
Lala Ivory was third, only two lengths from her kennelmate. She also qualified for next week’s final, giving Dailly a four-pronged challenge in the $25,000 to-the-winner event.
Lil Dickie Oaks winner Lala Kiwi got the Dailly juggernaut rolling, upstaging ‘next big thing’ Koblenz in Heat 1.
In fact, she turned the tables on Koblenz who defeated her in the Pink Diamond Rookie Sprinter final at Bendigo. Lala Kiwi was fourth in the race.
Lala Kiwi ($5.20) notched her 10th win from 24 starts. She accounted for Koblenz ($1.90F) – who had won 12 of his past 15 starts – by 3.3 lengths in a smart 30.04sec.
Qwara Bale (Box 1) is the $2.50 favourite to win the final, followed by ‘next big thing’ Koblenz (Box 7) at $3.60 and Aston Fastnet (Box 3) at $4.60.
