Fernando Bale (3) was faultless from first stride to finish line in the 2015 Southern Cross Ten Bendigo Cup (425m) on Friday night recording his fifteenth straight victory.
It was the twenty-third victory of the of the 28 month-old greyhound’s career and the $47,000 winner’s purse propelled his prize money beyond $680,000 sparking debate about his place among greyhound racing’s all-time greats.
Starting as a $1.15 favourite, the Andrea Dailly-trained Fernando Bale didn’t put a paw wrong running to a strong victory in 24.401 secs – just outside the 23.386 secs record he set last week.
Shared Equity (box 5) ran on gallantly for second, while Breathing Fire (box 4) finished third.
Social media channel, Twitter, went into to meltdown following the race with Fernando Bale trending at number six Australia wide.
The win prompted many big calls, with people tweeting that Fernando Bale is the best greyhound ever to grace the track.
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Handler George Dailly was reluctant to get caught up in the hype, however.
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“I find it very hard to compare greyhounds from different eras. We’ve had some champion dogs in our kennel over the years, but we’ve never had one that has won 15 in a row, so based on that fact he’s the best we’ve had,” Dailly said.
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“He’s so consistent that I reckon he is capable of winning group races from 300m up to 600m.”
Dailly indicated that Fernando Bale will now be set for the Group 1 Maturity Classic (525m) at The Meadows later this month.
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