Shima To Shine In Gold Bullion Test

THERE is a reason the Andrea and Tom Dailly kennel is one of the most powerful in Australia.

They produce high quality greyhounds and Albion Park will get to witness three of their stars in action on a ripping card of racing on Thursday night.

Four heats of the $235,000 Group 1 Gold Bullion (520m) will be run and won featuring Shima Shine and Faithy Bale, while Sunset Bourbski lines up in the heats of the $113,000 Group 1 Gold Cup (710m).

Shima Shine goes into the Gold Bullion series as pre-post favourite for the $150,000-to-the-winner final, with Tom Dailly more than happy with the son of Barcia Bale heading into the lucrative series.

"Breaking the track record in his heat of the Warragul Cup convinced me to come and have a crack at the Gold Bullion," Dailly said.

"His disadvantage is not having seen Albion Park before but he's come up with his favourite draw in the eight which makes me like his chances Thursday night.

"He's not a brilliant beginner but he can accelerate very quickly, so when he draws out like he has it gives him that small margin to get motoring and on the lure."

The Group 1 Topgun winner and 2019 Million Dollar Chase runner-up is clearly the highest credentialed dog in the heats, but not having been to Brisbane before, Dailly isn't taking anything for granted.

"It's not going to be easy – there's some quality local dogs in the series," Dailly added.

Having ticked boxes in Victoria and New South Wales, Shima Shine will now look to conquer Queensland.

"He's done a lot of racing in top company at home in Melbourne and Sydney but never in Brisbane, you want to show you can compete wherever you go," Dailly said.

And while Shima Shine is Dailly's number one chance, classy performer Faithy Bale heads into the series in great touch also.

"I think she can really run a race," Dailly said.

"Her form's been fantastic at home winning in Free for All company and when we've taken her to tracks for the first time in the past, she's handled it well.

"She beat Tiggerlong Tonk in a match race at Warragul not all that long ago, so that tells you what kind of class she's in and if she can find the front from the three I don't think they'll catch her."

The Fernando Bale bitch has competed at the highest level but never quite broken through but Dailly thinks her time is now.

"She's just turned three and seems to have fully matured and this is the time we'd like to see her make an impact at group level," he said.

"She's probably been just a length or two off competing with the real big guns, but when she puts it all together, she'll challenge anything."

Much like Faithy Bale, Sunset Bourbski is looking for a marquee win to elevate her status and the slashing stayer is primed for a big run in the Gold Cup Heats after a promising Brisbane debut.

"She hits the line as hard as anything over the distance, having box one probably cost her in the Clem Jones last week and we've come up with it again, so we've just got to hope she handles it a bit better," Dailly said.

"She's a funny bitch, she'll go forward early then ease back in the field and try to hook to the outside, you just don't want to see her buried on the fence like that.

"She's as genuine a stayer as you'll get, she'd run one thousand metres if you let her, her run homes have been great but she doesn't want to leave too much work against the better dogs."