Beast Royale and Two Girls both put in incredible performances for victory in their state final qualifiers for the Group 1 National Championships in Launceston on Thursday night.
Wynyard trainer Cameron Betts is excitedly preparing for his first-ever Group 1 finalist after Beast Royale clinched the win in the Clarkie Tyres Tasmanian Distance Championship Final (720m).
The brindle son of Beast Unleashed and Entwined gave it his all, closing in on front-runner Red Day and surging forward in the final moments to clinch victory by a quarter of a length in 42.53.
From box 2, Beast Royale secured the $8,920 prize, giving Betts one of his most exciting moments since becoming a trainer.
“Beast Royale has done exceptionally well, quite surprising,” Cameron remarked.
“The way he chased down a strong chaser in Red Day, who is in excellent form, was really impressive.
“I was worried about how he recovered after last week’s run, he was sore and a bit flat. He clearly needed a quiet week to prepare for the race, and thankfully, it turned out to be the right choice.”
As Beast Royale secured his eleventh win out of 36 starts, Cameron felt beyond proud watching the dog embrace the challenge of longer distance races, overcoming setbacks along the way.
“He’s certainly been crying out for these distance races,” Betts stated.
“A couple of runs saw him take a step forward and then a step back, but this time he gave it his all and it went really well.
“It’s an honour to represent Tassie; we’ll sort out a plan in the next few days to head to Queensland.”
Sprint thriller
Pontville trainer Glenn Howlett placed his confidence in Two Girls, who made a thrilling late surge to edge out Sherwood Boys and clinch the Ladbrokes Tasmanian Sprint Championship Final (515m).
It was a race full of twists and turns that delivered a drama-packed performance.
She came from behind to run down the front runners to score by a nose in a great finish, running 29.81 from box 1.
“I didn’t expect her to go quite as wide,” trained Glenn Howlett said.
“But if she manages to navigate the first turn without any hindrance, we know she truly shines in the final stages of her races, that’s where she really comes into her own and finishes strong.”
The daughter of Beast Unleashed and Hope’s Thunder has now secured 10 victories from 35 starts, claiming the Tasmanian Sprint Final in addition to her triumphs in the Tasmanian Laurels and Damsels Dash.
Glenn had planned for Two Girls to be part of the series well in advance, and now the dream has finally become a reality.
“It’s such an honour to represent your home state in a big race like this,” he said.
“Whether she does any good over there is another thing, but we’ll come up with a plan and see how it goes.”
Both finalists are set to trial on the Q2 Parklands track next week in preparation for the grand finals.
The box draw for the Group 1 finals of the National Distance and National Sprint will be held on Tuesday.
The finals for the Group 1 National Championships are scheduled for Saturday night, 30 August.