Can Cain Bale Follow In Fanta's Famous Footsteps?

CAIN Bale is following in illustrious footsteps as he attempts to emulate his champion mother Fanta Bale by winning the Group 1 Australian Cup.

The great Fanta Bale made the Australian Cup Carnival her own in 2017 and 2018, amazingly winning four Group 1 races over all three of The Meadows' distances.

In 2017, the Robert Britton-trained and Paul Wheeler-bred superstar won the Rookie Rebel (600m) before reigning supreme in the Australian Cup (525m) a fortnight later.

She returned in 2018 to claim another G1 double, clean-sweeping both the Carnival's staying events, the Zoom Top and Super Stayers, the latter fittingly now named the Fanta Bale Super Stayers.

Fanta Bale is a very tough – in all likelihood, impossible – act to follow.

However, her promising son Cain Bale (by Feral Franky) stamped himself a serious Australian Cup contender last Saturday night.

Contesting the last of eight heats, Mark Delbridge's blueblood extended his winning streak to five with a scorching 29.59sec victory.

Boosting his record to 10 from 19, Cain Bale clocked the second fastest time on the star-studded card, bettered only by Hector Fawley's 29.54sec and quicker than Explicit's time in the G1 Temlee.

Demonstrating he's inherited some of his mother's remarkable versatility, Cain Bale was dropping back in distance for his Cup assault after a confidence-boosting middle distance hat-trick.

"He's started to learn how to come out of a box a bit better," said Mark Delbridge, currently holidaying in New Zealand with wife Lisa.

"He's come ahead in leaps and bounds and he'll run through a brick wall!

"He just chases. Dogs that chase like he does are few and far between these days.

"He's probably a better 600m dog. Hopefully he can draw one, two or three for the semi-finals because he does want the fence.

"His mother ran 700m, so hopefully he will too later on."

Cain Bale is almost certain to get two throws at G1 stumps over the next fortnight, in either the Australian Cup Final, or failing that, the middle distance Rookie Rebel.

Cain Bale is $13 in Australian Cup betting, while he's the $5 second elect in the All In Rookie Rebel market behind Hector Fawley.

Delbridge is also eying off Dubbo's rich Country Classic (605m), hoping to go one-better than Ailee Bale's runner-up finish in 2023.

The programming makes it a tight squeeze, with heats of the $125,000 to-the-winner Classic commencing on February 25, the day after the Australian Cup Final and Rookie Rebel.

"We've probably got to have a go at it, because of the money," Delbridge said.

"I'd say we'll just go to Dubbo for the heats (Saturday, March 2). 

"He won't have had a look there and he can be a bit of a funny dog if he hasn't seen a track."

While Cain Bale shone brightly, there were mixed fortunes for the Delbridges last Saturday night, with Zoha Bale denied G1 glory by half a length in the Zoom Top when runner-up to Valpolicella.

Viewing the opening night of the Australian Cup Carnival from New Zealand proved problematic for the Delbridges.

"We watched Cain Bale's race on the iPad, with Lisa's sister Michelle FaceTiming us the vision from her TV!" Mark explained.

 Cain Bale was the second of two Wheeler-bred Australian Cup heat winners produced by a former champion.

Ike Bale, a superbly-bred son of Barcia Bale and 2019 Cup heroine Dyna Patty, trained by Correy Grenfell, scored in 29.99sec.