He won’t be one of the favourites with punters but it would be the classic fairytale result should Go Bears win next Saturday night’s $100,000 Ladbrokes Country Classic Final at Dubbo.
Not only is he four and quarter years’ old, not only did his racing career begin before some of the of his rivals were born, not only is he trained by a 77-year-old from a tiny town called Shannon Brook near Casino, with a population around 200, but, and this is the big thing, he wasn’t supposed to be in the race.
Go Bears has been a grand campaigner for trainer Ron Ulrick and his daughter Karen, winning the Group 2 Richmond Derby in 2024, and 26 of his 97 race starts.
Go Bears was to race in the Country Classic qualifying event The Richmond at Casino on March 6 after qualifying in the heats of that event, but Cyclone Alfred’s imminent arrival saw the meeting abandoned. Under the racing rules, stewards had to do a ballot and randomly draw four dogs to contest the Classic semi-finals in Dubbo.
Karen Ulrick tried in vain to have Go Bears withdrawn from the ballot, but she was unable to, he was drawn out, and as such had to head to Dubbo on Saturday for the semi-finals.
Go Bears did the rest, scoring a thrilling win in a slick 34.54s, and as such booking a berth in the final of the world’s richest middle distance event next Saturday.
“It's just the best. This dog just means so much to us. It’s just so great to be in another big race with him,” said Holly Taylor, Ron’s granddaughter, Karen’s daughter and a trainer in her own right who handled Go Bears on Saturday.
“He means everything to us. This is the biggest race he’s ever been in. He’s made five group races (finals) but he’s never been in one worth this much.
“He'd been racing well up at Albion Park, and we weren't really going to put him in the race (the heats at Casino) because Casino is not really his track. He ran third in his heat, and then when the final was called off, he got balloted to come here tonight.
“And really we didn't want him to come here because we didn't give him any hope. We thought he would have been unplaced in the Casino final, so I guess it was just meant to be.
“I've spoken to mum, I haven't had a chance to speak to Pop yet. Mum was like crying and everything and I'm sure Pop was the same.
“He's only been up the straight three times in a fortnight because it's been too wet (due to the Cyclone). Nothing went right, but tonight it did. So, like I said, it was this meant to be.”
Minnie Finn will be looking for another Country Classic success having qualified Gets Late Early who finished second, 2½ lengths behind Go Bears. Minnie and John Finn won the inaugural Country Classic with Zipping Kyrgios back in 2022.
There are a handful of feature races which leading trainers Jodie and Andy Lord are yet to collect, but they could scratch one off the list next Saturday night in Dubbo.
The Lords will have a great opportunity to win their first Ladbrokes Country Classic after the performance of Ayden’s Warrior, the fastest of the semi-final winners.
Ayden’s Warrior toyed with his rivals winning his semi by 15½ lengths in 34.45s, just 0.1s outside the track record set by superstar local stayer Miss Ezmae back in 2021.
While he did trial midweek at Dubbo, it was Ayden’s Warrior’s first start at the track and the closest his rivals got to him was behind the boxes before the event as he made full use of his box one draw and speared to the front and simply got further ahead the further they went.
“It feels fantastic, it was a great run. Once he was around the first corner and he was in the clear I thought it would be hard for them to catch him and that proved to be right,” said owner Ayden Sheridan.
While beaten a long way, runner-up Kangaroo Jack advances to next week’s final.
Up and coming star Jungle Johnny looked very good winning his semi-final of the Classic in 34.57s.
“This feels fantastic. It’s enormous. This is what we are in the game for, these big races,” said trainer Mark Gatt’s brother Daniel..
“There was pressure, pressure of having a good dog and he’s that good of a dog. He actually takes a little bit of pressure off because he’s that good of a dog but there is still pressure for him to go to his maximum every time he races.
“I thought he missed it a touch but then I don’t know if getting checked by the eight or the six exaggerated it, but when I saw him find the fence and get into second I was very confident of qualifying and thought he was a big chance of winning.
“He’s got to jump better (in the final) and find a good position and then it’s up to him. It won’t be easy. He’s got to be at his best.”
Like Minnie Finn, Jack Smith will be chasing another Country Classic win after Flash On By finished second to Jungle Johnny and qualified. Smith finished first and second in last year’s feature with Bella Una and Palawa King.
Promising stayer Late Night News will be another with supporters in the final after qualifying with a 34.66 win.
The winner of the Summer Plate at Wentworth Park back in December has been mixing it well with the best stayers in the land in feature events, but has been dropped back to middle-distance for this series and looked impressive overcoming some early trouble.
“When he got to me in the catching pen he was hunting up under the leader and then got to the front and I thought you’re going to be hard to run down, it’s going to be a good one if they run you down, so I just said keep going boy, keep going,” said trainer Caroline Hughes.
“I trialled him here a week and half ago and he went well and broke 35s and railed like a bird all the way around, and I thought if he can jump and find the rails he will probably do ok.”
Lucky Blue Book gave the Lords a second Country Classic finalist next week finishing second albeit 7½ lengths back.
