Why Belmont Bullet's Egg Rise Is One To Savour

ASK Kat Ernst and partner Joe McFadyen what it is like to have a runner in the Group 1 Golden Easter Egg (520m) at Wentworth Park on Saturday night and both will admit to pinching themselves to see if it really is true.

Joe trains Belmont Bullet (Fernando Bale-Belmont Belle) which landed an Easter Egg semi-final last Saturday night at odds of 50/1 ,leading throughout in 29.82.

Bryan Croft owns the dog and Kat is his devoted handler.

FIELDS AND FORM WENTWORTH PARK SATURDAY NIGHT

“I admit I have cried every day this week since he made the final,” said Kat still riding a wave of emotion.

“That old saying in racing about daring to dream really sums up our Egg hopes.”

There are numerous twists and turns, fabulous feel good aspects, in the Belmont Bullet story.

“Joe and I have been together about nine years now,” said Kat, whose day job is lead greyhound producer at Sky Racing.

“A couple of years ago we decided to get serious.

“I got some tax money a while ago and wanted to buy a couple of pups from a Magic Sprite litter out of Finn's Express, a litter bred in Queensland.

"Oh my god, did that happen?!"

The pure emotion in this interview is what it's all about! Here's Kat Ernst after her beloved Belmont Bullet ran his way into the G1 Ladbrokes Golden Easter Egg final. Dream big, Team Belmont Bullet!

#thedogs #GEE pic.twitter.com/M1oBwqdQmM

— The Dogs (@Thedogs_com_au) April 1, 2023

“I didn't have enough to buy two so Bobby Koteb came in halves.

“The bitch from the litter, Belmont Belle, was a Wenty winner so we bred from her.

“Joe's mate Bryan Croft bought one of that litter but it did not make it to breaking in. We promised him a replacement from the second litter and Belmont Bullet is him.”

Belmont Bullet is the first dog owned by Bryan to make it to the racetrack. He is already planning to bring a group of 50 to Wentworth Park on Saturday night to celebrate just being in the Egg final.

But, Kat admits she and Joe had not even planned to run Belmont Bullet in the Egg series at all.

“We had the Taree Cup as the target with five of our kennel,” she said.

“We wanted to run him in the Ultra Sense series as a prep for the Taree Cup, but the heats of that race were 10 days away, so we put him into the Egg heats to keep him racing.”

Kat admits everything went right when Belmont Bullet won his semi-final on Saturday night.

“At home he is quite a boisterous dog, but when he gets to Wenty he is quite timid,” said Kat.

“He has been a work in progress at the track.

“He has run some great first sections at The Gardens and when he jumped and led on Saturday night I was just hoping.

“Everything worked out for him. Those behind him seemed to just get into each other's road. It seemed as though he had a force field around him.

“Turning for home I dashed in behind the boxes to watch the TV of the race and when he won I started crying. Couldn't stop. I was balling my eyes out.”

Kat's dad Ken was on death's door 18 months ago to the stage his family went bedside to say farewells.

Ken recovered and now never misses a race meeting as Kat and Joe's catcher.

“I have never seen my dad cry, but by the time I got to him in the catching pen on Saturday night, he was crying.

“Joe's dad Allan has been a huge help to us and uncle Gary is our training mentor.

“So you can see what sort of following he will have on Saturday night.”

Of Belmont Bullet's chances in the final, Kat and Joe are realistic.

“He's not well drawn but if he begins like I know he can, well you never know,” said Kat.

Kat Ernst in her role at Sky Racing has been there behind the boxes for glamour races around the country. She's seen the joy of winners, lived it with trainers, handlers and owners.

“In my job, I've heard from people so often about what it means just to make a race like the Golden Easter Egg,” she said.

“I never really got that … until now.”

The phone has not stopped since Belmont Bullet landed that semi-final win.

Joe, Kat, their families, Bryan Croft and his myriad of mates and family will be at Wentworth Park on Saturday night savouring a spot in one of the world's great greyhound races.

“Belmont Bullet will win it in the first 50 metres, not the last 50,” said Kat.