By Luke Corda
Kelsey Bale gave the Gibbons family a night to remember when taking out the Group 2 Laurels at Sandown Park on Thursday night.
Starting the series as the clear favourite, Kelsey Bale delivered on expectations with a devastating run in the final.
She came from second-last to win by 2.5 lengths over Baby Jaycee in 29.35 seconds.
Trainer Dan Gibbons was extremely proud of his girl.
“I’m stoked that she won,” he said.
“I had to shut my eyes at the first corner.
“I knew if she could get around that first corner cleanly it was going to be hard to beat her.”
Kelsey Bale finished second in her heat last week but progressed to the final with the second fastest second-place finish – by just 0.063 of a second!
She was sure to take matters into her own hands this time around.
“She’s like a rocket with a bulldozer attached to her when she gets going,” Gibbons said.
“It was a nerve-racking watch at the start.
“When she found clear air, it was more of a relief than anything.”
Her Laurels win was Kelsey Bale’s sixth run at Group level and her second victory following her jaw-dropping comeback win in October’s Group 3 Silver Bullet at The Meadows.
In her last 13 starts, she has finished outside the placings just twice.
“She’s maturing a lot,” Gibbons said.
“She’s working her way around a field of dogs a lot better than what she used to.
“If she misses the start, she just makes her own way.
“And when she’s running like that – nothing can get in her way.”
Kelsey Bale will head up to Queensland with kennelmate Yahiro Bale to compete in the 2022/23 Golden Greys Summer Carnival.
Later in the night, gun speedster Hot Scotch blew up the clock with a scintillating 29.12 run in race nine.
He exploded out from box four and recorded slick sectionals on his way to a clear best-of-night win.
Hot Scotch is a full brother to budding superstar and Silver Chief finalist Rejuvenate.
