Will Fernando Bale sire tonight's Melbourne Cup winner?
Peter Fenemor • November 28th, 2025 11:17 AM • 4 min read
Eight cracking 515m heats held last week at Sandown Park decided the talented final field for Saturday’s A$762,500 Sportsbet Melbourne Cup, which features a night of high-class chasing action.
The late, great Fernando Bale will be represented by three runners in the Group 1 event.
Included is the quickest heat winner Accredited who sizzled through his heat assignment in a slick 29.07 with the Ned McDonald trained chaser jumping from trap-three.
Valenzuela, who clocked 29.26 when winning his heat, secures the draw advantage via the one trap for the Jeff Britton trained son of Fernando Bale.
He is owned by the Victorian based greyhound media guru George Farrugia, who races the outstanding stayer Johnny Football from the Lisa Cole kennels.
The Kayla Cottrell trained Dashing Slay is a daughter of Fernando Bale who will be loaded away in trap-five following her 29.24 heat win.
We asked Australian greyhound media personality Brennan Ryan for his thoughts on how he thinks the great race will unfold and unsurprisingly he favours the three Fernando Bale sired finalists.
“This year’s Melbourne Cup is an extremely even talented field. Included are greyhounds who own sheer early pace, while others bring immense strength into the race. It’s what you expect a Melbourne Cup field to contain.
“Catching my eye from the heats was Valenzuela. His heat win was a very good performance, and he brings strong form lines into the final from his good draw.
“Dashing Slay was very impressive in the way that she won her heat where she found the line very strongly.
“The heat performance by Accredited was a standout, beating other proven group race performers to win his heat.”
The emotion will flow for Fernando Bale in the race proceeding the Melbourne Cup with the Farewell Fernando Bale being contested.
The warm sentimental favourite in the 515m event will be the trap one drawn Come To Party who is a Jeff Britton trained son of Fernando Bale.
And that emotion will continue into the Melbourne Cup with Fernando Bale’s three runners in the A$500,000 to-the-winner event.
It was a race that the great one didn’t win when going under by a neck to a star kennelmate Dyna Double One in the 2015 edition as Ryan recalls.
“That was one of the most exciting Melbourne Cups ever raced. It was thrilling watching two pin up greyhounds racing neck to neck throughout.
“Fernando Bale has sired three Melbourne Cup winners – My Redeemer (2018), Whisky Riot (2019) and Koblenz (2021).
“It is a credit to Fernando Bale’s continued legacy. The Melbourne Cup is an iconic race that holds so much history for Australian greyhound racing.”
The other Group 1 feature on the card is the traditional running of the A$120,000 Sportsbet Bold Trease (Race 8) for the stayers over the 715m distance.
Four heats held last Saturday has brought together an outstanding field of stayers.
Brennan Ryan didn’t hesitate to nominate two stayers who went to war throughout in their heat.
The heat was stylishly won by the Jason Thompson prepared Ayden’s Warrior who clocked the quickest 41.69 heat time. The son of Fernando Bale dueled with the Peter Presutto trained Without A Trace, who many consider is the best current stayer in Australia, when prevailing by a neck.
“Ayden’s Warrior really stepped up to the plate, while Without A Trace didn’t lose any admirers with her heat effort.
“I expect a similar race from this pair of quality stayers. Both of them impressive in the same heat, running considerably quicker than the other three heat winners,” advised Ryan.
The Sportsbet Melbourne Cup will be televised live on Trackside 1 at 11.45pm.
