All eyes will be on Wentworth Park and Dapto this Thursday night as the careers of two of the most prized pups in chasing history commence.
Black Axe Bandit and She’s Fearless, the regally bred son and daughter of superstars She’s A Pearl and Fernando Bale, will head to the races for the very first time under the care of Andy and Jodie Lord.
The duo both set to debut over 520m with Andy Lord confident they are ready to rock and roll.
The four She's A Pearl pups who headlined the 2024 GRNSW Puppy Auction
“No nerves…the only time I get nervous around here is when Jodie raises her voice,” Lord laughed.
“I think everyone will be watching with interest. If I was on the outside looking in, I’d certainly be taking notice because they’re out of such a good bitch.”
“A lot of people say champion bitches don’t throw pups anywhere near as a good as themselves, but I think ‘Pearl’ might be the exception.”
Black Axe Bandit will be the first cab off the rank, stepping from Box 8 in the opening race at Wentworth Park.
The youngster already snapped up by a syndicate of buyers that includes dual Million Dollar Chase Maiden winning owner, Mark Duclos.
“Black Axe Bandit hasn’t been out of the lids at Wenty yet, but he’s had a few post-to-posts at the track and gone around the 24.20 mark,” Lord added.
“He’s had a proper trial at Dapto and broken 30 so he’s certainly got ability. We were hoping to get them both to Wenty Park in separate heats on Thursday but they only got enoguh dogs for one race so we’ve sent She’s Fearless to Dapto instead.”
She’s Fearless set to jump from Box 1 in the second on the card on the South Coast, with Lord giving her an almighty spruik ahead of her debut.
“This bitch could be as good as her mother in time. She’s running similar times now at 18-months of age to what her mother used to run,” Lord said.
“She’s been around Dapto three times already and run very fast times in all three. I don’t really want to say how quick but I think her and He’s A Pearl are the best two in the litter at the moment even though there’s not a lot between them.”
With the team spread across two venues on Thursday night, it’s interesting to note Lord is heading to Wentworth Park with Black Axe Bandit
Meanwhile, good mate and Golden Easter Egg winning trainer Ken Burnett will take She’s Fearless to Dapto.
“I’m going to go to Wenty and Kenny is taking the bitch to Dapto. Kenny has handled her before, he’s handled her in trials too so he knows her better than anyone apart from us,” Lord added.
“The whole litter is ready to go but these two will be first to the track and I can’t wait. They’ve had field trials, had rugs on them, been kennelled up, they are ready so it’s their turn to show us what they can do.”
She's A Pearl won the Million Dollar Chase, Golden Easter Egg and Paws Of Thunder and was a multiple Group winner and finalist.
“They’re both like their mum [She’s A Pearl], both beautiful dogs who carry on a bit, but that’s part and parcel of being an eager race dog.”
For the record, She’s A Pearl won on debut at Wagga Wagga back in May of 2021, while Fernando Bale could only manage a fourth-place finish in his first start at The Meadows in 2014.
The pair went on to collectively claim 75 races and more than $3 million in career earnings.
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