Sentenced Serves Up Derby Masterclass

FIVE months and a long-time friendship was the make or break in the racing career of Group 2 Queensland Derby fastest heat winner Sentenced.

FIVE months and a long-time friendship was the make or break in the race career of Queensland Derby fastest heat winner Sentenced.

The son of Jury and Velocity Spice, a real home-bred for breeder and part-owner Steve Williams, stormed away from his rivals to win his heat of the Derby (520m) at Albion Park last night by six lengths in 29.63.

He downed Cash Stack and Speranza.

Williams races the dog in partnership with Josh Allen and it was the long-time friendship of Allen and the dog's trainer Tony Brett that may have saved his racing career.

“When he came back from breaking in the dog was very, very scared,” said Steve.

“So much so that it took Tony five months to get him to the racetrack.

“At one stage I believe he was almost prepared to sack the dog and only that he and Josh have been such great friends did he keep going with him.”

Fortunately he did.

Sentenced made the final of the Pop Northfield Maiden at Casino in October and has since been brilliant in 29.95 and 29.90 wins at Albion Park in his two starts before the Derby heat.

“So many people give up on dogs,” said Williams.

“He reminds me so much of Velocity Regina which spent three months at my home in a bid to get her to come out of her shell.”

It finally worked to the stage the bitch was Williams' first Group winner and she eventually was a multiple track record breaker adding to multiple Group success.

Williams is confident Sentenced will be hard to beat off box two in the final.

“But gee the Scott's good dog Farmor Beach has the rails and he will be hard to beat,” he said.

“Our bloke just keeps improving and stepping up to the next level every time Tony tests him.

“And, look at the run home time of 12.55. He's so strong.”

Williams bred and raced the sire and dam. Jury was a multiple Group 1 winner and Steve has five litters by him and plans to use him again.

Sentenced's second dam Velocity Wind is a litter sister to Aliwishus Jones (Collision-Lankan Hope) which Williams rates as the fastest greyhound he has owned.

Robert Cooke's boom youngster Cash View (Raw Ability-Cashpot) followed on from his win in the Dave Brett Memorial Maiden the week before with a 29.74 heat win of the Derby over Werina Express and Mitchell Street.

Multiple Group winner Farmor Beach (Fernando Bale-Kinloch Beach) ran 29.77 winning his Derby heat over Blue Day and Tough As Teak.

MARK Saal's classy bitch Pump It (Collision-Simply An Angel) ran the quickest of the two Futurity heats when winning in 29.98 off the rails beating Paint Face and Mayoress.

Kiss And Spin (KC And All-Reshuffle) ran 30.22 to down Crazy Cool and Transgenic in the other heat.

Queensland Derby Final (in box draw): 1 Farmor Beach, 2 Sentenced, 3 Werina Express, 4 Cash Stack, 5 Cash View, 6 Tough As Teak, 7 Blue Day, 8 Speranza. Res: 9 Mitchell Street, 10 Nightymile King.

Queensland Futurity Final (in box draw): 1 Mayoress, 2 Dynamite Hope, 3 Kiss And Spin, 4 My Movie Star, 5 Crazy Cool, 6 Pump It, 7 Paint Face, 8 Transgenic. Res: 9 Sky's The Limit, 10 Eulogia.

 

Latest News Articles