Record Run Earns Jim Warrnambool Cup Tilt

JIM Zarr Dashian cemented his standing as one of Victoria's brightest young stars with a record breaking romp at Bendigo on Friday.

And on the back of three breathtaking victories, trainer Jamie Ennis has declared the son of Kinloch Brae right to go for Thursday's Group 2 Warrnambool Cup heats.

"Breaking the record didn't really surprise me with the way he's going; I half expected it if he did everything right," said Ennis.

"He had trialled quickly at Bendigo and the form line was there in his runs before that at Ballarat. He was roaring away from some handy dogs at the finish on Friday and when he did that I expected he'd be close to the record."

 

Close to the record he was, shaving just 2/100's off Flynn's previous 425-metre time-standard of 23.37.

"The penny has dropped with him now and I reckon it's going to be in the next three months we really know what we've got," Ennis offered.

"Aside from My Bro Fabio he's potentially the best dog I've had. The best is still in front of him now he's learnt what it's all about."

Winner at eight of his 14 starts and responsible for a mind blowing 29.02 Sandown Park victory at just his fifth race appearance in January, Ennis has entered the prodigious talent for Thursday's Warrnambool Cup heats before moving on to the Harrison-Dawson at Sandown.

"I still think he's going to be a better two-turn 500 metre dog but with Warrnambool on now and the way he's going over the 450 he deserves his chance," Ennis added.

"It will be good to see how he measures up in that class Thursday, he has trialled fast at Warrnambool. It will come down to how he draws … he needs that room to move early and find his feet."

And while Jim Zarr Dashian's record breaking victory was out of this world, Ennis was equally happy with the 700 metre return of Ella Enchanted at The Meadows on Saturday night.

"It was her first 700 since last November so I was happy with her run," Ennis said of her second place finish.

"As soon as I saw Blazing Cartier where she was I knew she'd be hard to beat, Ella did a good job to run second. She's four-year old now and I think she'll need the good month block of racing before the Sandown Cup to get to where she needs to be."

The daughter of Don't Knocka Him has raced just 10 times since finishing a narrow second to Rajasthan in last year's Group 1 Sandown Cup Final.

"She's the best dog I've trained that hasn't won a group 1 – she really does deserve one … she hasn't had much luck in the big ones," Ennis said.

"It will be an interesting Sandown Cup. There's some good young stayers coming through to take on some of the older proven dogs. She hasn't got the same turn of foot she had a year ago but with some luck she can be right in it come final night."