Yachi Bale Powers Home For Melbourne Cup Glory

YACHI Bale has sprung from relative obscurity to win the Group 1 Sportsbet Melbourne Cup (515m) at Sandown Park.

Going into the $1m showpiece as the youngest and least experienced finalist, many expected the noted back-marker to be run off his feet in the high intensity decider.

But the son of The Meadows track record holder Allen Deed had other ideas, powering home to deliver trainer Mark Delbridge the biggest win of his career with victory in the $650,000-to-the-winner finale.

Yet the story to the watershed win runs far deeper, with Yachi Bale bred and owned by Brendan Wheeler, son of industry icon Paul Wheeler, who sadly passed away in October last year.

A huge performance from Yachi Bale sees him win the 2022 Melbourne Cup! ? pic.twitter.com/3adYfspk6B

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) November 26, 2022

Winning Melbourne Cups has become an artform for the Wheeler family with Yachi Bale adding to a list which includes stars the ilk of Kantarn Bale, Dyna Tron, Dyna Villa and Dyna Double One, which in 2015, famously downed Fernando Bale in a race for the ages.

Following Yachi Bale's come from the clouds victory, a clearly shocked Mark Delbridge was lost for words.

"Unbelievable, just totally unbelievable, I'm not sure what else to say," Delbridge said.

"It's a terrific feeling. My first Melbourne Cup runner and to come out a winner, and like that, I really have no idea what else to say.

Look at what it means ❤️ pic.twitter.com/dHOKvAsLVB

— Sandown Greyhounds (@sandowndogs) November 26, 2022

"At the 595m boxes I saw him get going and thought we might be a chance. But until they cross the line you don't count on anything. There's so much that can happen."

Now a winner at nine of 22 starts with prizemoney of $700,000, Yachi Bale drops back to his own age and sex for fast approaching Group 1 Silver Chief at The Meadows before stepping up to the middle distance journey for the Sale Cup (650m).

Such was the force of Yachi Bale's finish, the winning margin on the line was half-a-length over Fernando Mick while Plaintiff was another neck away in third.

The winning time was 29.21.

Meanwhile, the second Group 1 of the meeting was won in similar fashion, with Stagger Out Lee dropping from the clouds to annex the Bold Trease (715m).

Trained at Wagga by young mentor Jack Strutt, Stagger Out Lee weaved a passage turning for home to snare the $100,000 first prize in the most remarkable of fashion.

"She's just an amazing animal," Strutt said after the win.

"Just stoked, she has to do it the hard way with the travel and I don't have some of the facilities the bigger trainers have but she just gets the job done with no fuss.

"It's hard to fully put into words how special she is to the family."

Stagger Out Lee LAUNCHES and wins the 2022 Bold Trease Final! ? pic.twitter.com/nyiQiQSg2n

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) November 26, 2022

On the line, Stagger Out Lee scored by 1 ¾ lengths over fellow NSW chaser Cawbourne Magic with Korda in third.

The Sportsbet Showdown Match Race (515m) was a highly touted clash between The Phoenix hopefuls Wow She's Fast and Amron Boy and it didn't disappoint.

In an epic two-dog war, Wow She's Fast prevailed by a neck on the line over Amron Boy in 29.14, the clash a tantalising spectacle.

Heavily supported, Amron Boy went to the boxes as the $1.60 favourite while Wow She's Fast got out to odds of $2.60.