Chappelow Rues Box Draw Ahead Of Brother Fox

CRAIG Chappelow has qualified two, Embrace and I'm Loving It, for Saturday night's Group 3 The Brother Fox (516m) at Dubbo and is hoping no one notices on the night if he swaps the boxes.

While Craig is obviously joking, Embrace has drawn the rails and I'm Loving It has the six and they would be perfectly boxed if it was the other way around.

I'm Loving It (Hooked On Scotch-My Lady Day) ran 29.61 to win his heat of The Brother Fox beating Zipping Maserati by five lengths at his first look at the Dubbo track.

Earlier, Chappelow's G1 winning bitch Embrace (Turanza Bale-Twisted Love) had rattled home late to just fail to catch superstar She's A Pearl in 29.47 when beaten just a neck.

Jay Opetaia's Street Of Dreams (Aston Dee Bee-Holly Wade) won the other heat in 29.53 beating Wyndra All Class.

It took the champ ever metre of the Dubbo 516m but She's A Pearl salutes in the opening heat of the @ladbrokescomau Brother Fox to advance to next weekend's $50,000-to-the-winner final.

Embrace steams home to just miss her but is also guaranteed a spot in the big one.#thedogs pic.twitter.com/MrZrSKUws7

— The Dogs (@Thedogs_com_au) May 13, 2023

“Gee, I wish I could swap the boxes,” said Craig of the final.

“Embrace would be much better suited out wide and there is no doubt I'm Loving It is best suited off the rails.

“I was really happy with his performance especially considering he had not been on the track.

“But, he's that sort of dog. Things did not work out for me to get to Dubbo to trial him there, but when he came up with the red in the heat he was always going to race well.”

Chappelow says the box draw has done She's A Pearl all the favours.

“She's got the three in the final and with my bitch and the two both being slow early, that will almost give her an early lead,” he said.

“(Dubbo president and long-time bookie) Shayne Stiff went through the chances after the box draw was done and he virtually gave the final to She's A Pearl.

“The outside dogs will be hard pressed to clear her at the first turn.”

Here's the box draw for the Group 3 @ladbrokes Brother Fox final at @dubbo next Saturday, May 20.

The final is worth $50,000-to-the-winner and the field is full of star power #thedogs #greyhoundracing pic.twitter.com/iGNbeONkv3

— The Dogs (@Thedogs_com_au) May 13, 2023

Chappelow said Embrace had met She's A Pearl six times on the track and the Andy and Jodie Lord had had beaten every home every time.

“I thought we had her coming to the turn on Saturday night,” said Craig.

Chappelow has only three dogs in training but 10 pups fresh from education about to enter the kennel.

“And I have a litter by Hooked On Scotch from Embrace's mum Twisted Love about to be educated as well,” he said.

Chappelow decided against a trip to Melbourne for the Group 1 Sapphire Crown with Embrace.

“It was in my mind but she has not really travelled away really well in the past,” he said. “So it was a lot easier to go to Dubbo.

“I'm thinking of stepping her back up to 600 metres in the future.”

“She has had a couple of runs over the distance and won and that was when she was much younger.”

G3 The Brother Fox (516m) final, in box draw order: 1 Embrace, 2 Street Of Dreams, 3 She's A Pearl, 4 Spring Meteor, 5 Royal Nangar, 6 I'm Loving It, 7 Wyandra All Class, 8 Zipping Maserati. Res: 9 Red Hot Frankie, 10 Fascinate Trump.