By Luke Corda
Powerhouse sprinter Zippy Tesla showcased his incredible strength and desire to win as the Dailly family cleaned up the Victorian National Sprint Heats on Thursday night at Sandown.
Away fairly from Box 4, Zippy Tesla managed to squeeze his way to the fence and muscle-out Big Opal Rocks and Riccarton Rick to settle in fourth.
Trapped in a pocket behind Usman Bale and Compliance coming into the home straight, Zippy Tesla used his large 37.7kg frame to force an opening between the leading pair before kicking away to win by 1.5 lengths in 29.42s
The run was one of the most powerful seen in recent times and trainer Tom Dailly was highly impressed.
“It was a top run,” he said.
“He had to work hard for it and wasn’t afraid to push them around – his will to win is enormous.”
Zippy Tesla’s triumph made it victories in three out of the four Heats for the Dailly family.
Dusty Bourbski continued his outstanding form in the opening Heat with a gutsy 29.38s win over Kinrock Star. He makes it two wins in a row after his gallant second-place finish behind Wow She’s Fast in the Group 1 Maturity Classic.
Zara’s Ivan led all the way to win the second Heat from the inside draw, narrowly holding out a fast-finishing Photo Man.
Much to the delight of Tom Dailly, Zippy Tesla and Dusty Bourbski have drawn Boxes 1 and 2, respectively, for next week’s Final with Zara’s Ivan in Box 5.
“All three of them are going really well at the moment. I think Zippy Tesla is the best drawn of them, being on the inside is a good thing for him.”
Vayda Bale was a brilliant winner in the third Heat, recording back-to-back Sandown wins for the first time in her career with a signature 5.04s first split before holding on to win over Who Told Shorty at long odds.
Later in the evening, Hector Fawley stunned fans on course with a superb track debut in Race 9. His 29.33s effort at just his fourth career start was the fastest time recorded on a night filled with plenty of star-power.
