Check out top hopes for Ipswich Gold Cup

FIVE outstanding heats of the Group 2 $60,000 Ipswich Gold Cup will be run tomorrow night at the Ipswich Showgrounds.

John Brasch

DOGWATCH

FIVE outstanding heats of the Group 2 $60,000 Ipswich Gold Cup will be run tomorrow night at the Ipswich Showgrounds.

The five heat winners and the three fastest second placegetters advance to next week's final.

Race 4 heat 1: Multiple Group 1 winner Jury in box 6 (Tony Brett) is the on top selection from box 4 hope Loch Freddie (Tom Tzouvelis) and box 2 hope Bad Neighbour, winner of Ipswich Young Guns earlier this year.

Race 5 heat 2: The important scratching of Wise Misty paves the way for box 7 runner Regal Recall (Tony Brett). Wise Misty was unlucky in the Corporate Dollars Final last Saturday. The main danger Looks to be box 8 hope Fire To Rain (Chris Riordon), a Vince Curry Memorial winner on this track. Box 5 hope Mottza (Steven Scott) is tipped to run third.

Race 6 heat 3: Talented youngster Rio Brave (box 2 for Craig Schmidt) had no luck at Albion Park last start from a wide alley. Rio Brave has recorded brilliant times in two recent wins at Ipswich. This will be his biggest test to date. Box 6 hope Fabrique (Chris Riordon) placed in the recent Lismore Cup and speedy box 1 runner Painted Picture (Tony Brett) are smart young pups going places.

Race 7 heat 4: Box 3 hope Big Bad Bob (George Clegg) will be looking to find the rail and if he does looks hard to beat. Box 4 hope Fab Fit (Darren Russell) looks the leader in this. Can go close. Box 6 hope Femme Folle (Nathan Evans) and recent Gold Coast Cup winner Box 8 runner Del Rey (Tom Tzouvelis) are other chances.

Race 8 heat 5: Evergreen sprinter Cosmic Bonus (from box 7 for Evelyn Harris) is racing in career best form and suited from a wide alley is top pick. Box 2 hope Brandi Alexander and box 5 runner Shot Clock (Terry Medcalf) are main dangers.

Muzzles Restaurant will be open for dinner tomorrow night along with the canteen and bar.

Tote facilities re available.

Thursday night final

IPSWICH will race next Thursday night, featuring the final of the $60,000 Group 2 Ipswich Gold Cup.

Also on the program is the $10,000 Ipswich Sprint Final and the $10,000 Ipswich Gold Cup Consolation.

Race meetings next week are on Tuesday (twilight), Thursday night and Saturday night. Albion Park will race Friday twilight.

Last-stride win

BRANDI Alexander (Magic Sprite - Miss Lauryn) captured a last stride victory in last Saturday night's $12 000 Corporate Dollars Challenge Final for in-form trainer Tom Tzouvelis.

After beginning well she was checked after the start but got balanced quickly to settle in fourth around the first corner.

Final favourite Exponential (box 2 for Glenn Smith), seemed to stumble a stride or two after the start but gathered momentum and shared the lead into the first turn with Izy Magic (box 1, Amber Boody).

The Tony Brett trained Regal Recall (box 3) made it a line of three out of the straight.

Exponential was challenged by Regal Recall on the top turn at which point they bumped with Regal Recall losing ground.

Exponential regained a clear lead coming to the final turn.

With Izy Magic boxing on along the rail and Brandi Alexander making ground in the centre of the track, she was able to wear down Exponential on the post to score by a neck in a time of 30.82, with a 1/2 length to Izy Magic in third.

Brandi Alexander has 20 starts for seven wins and nine placings. She was runner-up to Crazy Bella in the Ipswich Futurity in September.

She nows heads towards a heat of the Ipswich Gold Cup tomorrow night.

As part of the Corporate Dollars race, final 8 club corporate sponsors were each drawn a greyhound in the final with the winning sponsor having naming rights to the Ipswich Greyhound Club winning post for the next 12 months.

Beenleigh Legal drew Brandi Alexander in the final so they will have their business advertised on the winning post for the next year.

Today's top hopes

AS part of the 10 race program today at Ipswich, there are three heats of the Ipswich Sprint over 431m.

Race 6 heat 1: The two main chances are box 3 Corykodi (Claude Dacey), winner of the Ipswich Derby in September.

He is returning from a brief three-start campaign in Tasmania, which resulted in a win and two seconds. The other chance is box 7 runner Aim, for Terry Guymer who won this race last year.

Race 7 heat 2: Three main chances are box 6 runner It's Dyllan (Peter Wilson), coming off a 24.96 win here at Ipswich on Melbourne Cup day; Box 7 runner Go Lazzie Go (Darren Russell) should get a good cart into the race from the speedy It's Dyllan; and She's A Sort (Tony Brett) is well drawn in box 1.

Race 8 heat 3: A more open heat with several winning chances. Box 5 runner Proper Gent (John McCarthy) has been flying around Ipswich in recent starts before a last start defeat at Albion Park. Box 4 hope Jetta Knight (Tony Brett) is another with a great Ipswich record. Other hopes are Box 2 runner Queen Werina (Noel Evans) resuming from a let-up and a Victorian trip mid-year. Has run sub 25 here previously and box 3 runner I've Got Cents (Merv Page).

The first two from each heat plus the fastest two thirds will qualify for the $10,000 final.

Race one starts at 2.59pm.

$7000 challenge

TODAY'S on-track Pick 7 Racebook competition is worth a cool $7650.

To be eligible to win today's jackpot, purchase a racebook and fill out the entry form with your selections for races 4-10.

If all seven come in, the jackpot prize is yours. If not won it jackpots to Saturday night's meeting.

Sandown mission

GOOD luck to Queensland trainers Tom Tzouvelis and Ray Burman venturing south to Sandown Park in Melbourne tonight.

Tzouvelis has shootout runner-up Maurice Minor in a heat of the Group 1 Melbourne Cup, race 11 box 4 at 9.31pm Queensland time.

Burman has Magic Hornet in a heat of the Group 1. His runner is Bold Trease in race 9 box 1 at 8.49pm (Qld time).

Originally published as Check out top hopes for Ipswich Gold Cup