Bill Bath Defies The Odds In Wauchope Cup

IT'S lucky Jilliby owner-trainer Peter Mattress didn't listen to the "experts" or he may not have landed the Wauchope Cup with Bill Bath.

IT'S lucky Jilliby owner-trainer Peter Mattress didn't listen to the “experts” or he may not have landed the Wauchope Cup (457m) on Wednesday with Bill Bath.

“I tried twice to get him a run on the track and both times the races were rained out,” said Peter.

“So, when the Cup was made a best eight, everyone told me it was virtually impossible to beat the locals without a run on the track.”

Bill Bath (My Bro Fabio-Gut Wrenching) came from last early to storm home in the giant Wauchope straight to down early leader Tucabia to win by a neck in 25.99 with Aston Sapporo in third three and a half lengths away.

It was his 11th win in 41 starts and the $15,000 winner's purse took his earnings to $38,000.

Bill Bath had everything going against him yesterday.

“It was also his first time on grass as well,” said Peter.

Mattress bought Bill Bath early in his career when owner Tim Watkins decided to sell him after a couple of wins from the Warren Harper kennel.

“I was training a couple of dogs for Tim at the time and when he said he was going to sell the dog I bought him for $9000,” said Peter.

“He put together a string of wins at Maitland and pretty well paid for himself straight away.

“He loves those big tracks. He did no good in the heats of the Gosford Gold Cup on the two turns, but he has been trialling the place down and I liked his Cup chances at Wauchope.”

Immediate plans for Bill Bath include another tilt at the Bulli Gold Cup.

Mattress spent seven years in greyhound racing back in the 1980s but has been back into the industry for the past six.

When COVID 19 hit the country, he sent Bill Bath to Victoria for a short campaign with Anthony Azzopardi for one-turn track racing and the dog won at Shepparton while there in fast time.

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QUEENSLAND breeder, Chris Georgiou, has been breeding some high class Group dogs for a decade or so now, but a chance look at Facebook a couple of years ago has landed him a hugely promising youngster called Break And Enter.

The son of Unlawful Entry-Cash Rules, on a rain-affected track, ran a near track record 21.37 when winning the time-honoured Butch Monkley Maiden Final (384m) at Wauchope yesterday.

Trained by Mal Cuneo in Queensland, Break And Enter scored by seven and a quarter lengths over kennelmate Peeper Jones with a half-length to Hennessey in third.

“I was on Facebook and saw a post by Peter Janovic in Sydney planning a potential mating with his bitch Cash Rules,” said Chris.

“He wanted to put her to Unlawful Entry.

“Cash Rules is a half sister to Punch One Out and I liked what I saw in the Unlawful Entry mating so I jumped at the chance to go halves with Peter in the litter.

“This pup is the result.”

Break And Enter is bred on the same Knocka Norris/Little Egyptian cross as Punch One Out.

“Mal reared the pup and he has always had an opinion of him,” said Chris.

“He hasn't had much luck in his couple of maiden starts up here in Queensland.”

Cuneo told Georgiou on a dry track the pup could have broken the Wauchope track record. 

 

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