Easter Trophy Favourite Lucky To Be Alive

KAHLO Hayze heads into Thursday night's Easter Trophy Final (520m) at Albion Park the likely hot favourite after drawing box one, but the bitch is lucky to be alive let alone building an impressive resume.

Just a few months before the daughter of Orson Allen and Dolcetto Hayze was to be sent by owners Nathan and Tracey Trigg to begin training under Sandra Hunt, the bitch was bitten by a brown snake.

Only rapid thinking by Tracey saved the bitch's life.

FIELDS AND FORM ALBION PARK THURSDAY

“I was on my way from home with another of the dogs, and had not been 30 minutes on my trip when Tracey rang,” said Nathan.

“We were pre-training the litter before sending them on to Sandra to train.

“Tracey had Freda (the bitch's kennel name) in one of the yards and when she went to put her back into the kennels, he could not get up off the ground.

“Tracey rushed her straight to our local vet.”

The Triggs thought it may have been a spider bite, but were unsure, until the vet did clotting tests on Freda which showed she had been bitten by a brown snake.

“She spent a couple of nights at the vet clinic but within two weeks she was perfectly OK,” said Nathan.

“We decided to give her a bit more time to get over the snake bite before sending her to Sandra.”

The Triggs were impressed by education and pre-training shown by Kahlo Hayze.

“I am always reluctant to make any declarations about the youngsters we send to Sandra, waiting for her to put them through trials and early races,” said Nathan.

“But, I told her when Kahlo Hayze arrived there she would be the first bitch we had sent her to break 30 seconds at Albion Park.”

But, Kahlo Hayze took longer to settle into her new surrounds than expected and Nathan's proclamation seemed a bit premature.

“She finally came good,” said a relieved Nathan.

Kahlo Hayze has now started 18 times for nine wins and four placings and back on February 19, when also coming off box one, she ran 29.77 when beating Speed Zone by six lengths.

While she has a length or two up her sleeve against her Easter Trophy rivals on Thursday night, Kahlo Hayze could also be giving rivals an early start.

“There is plenty of pace in the final, at least four or five of her rivals have better first sections than our bitch,” said Nathan.

Kahlo Hayze finished powerfully to win her heat last Thursday night.

“The way she runs on would seem to indicate she will get 600 metres,” said Nathan. “Quick thinking by Tracey certainly saved her life and she is repaying us now.”

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GROUP 1 Golden Sands (600m) winner, Fahey's Magic (Magic Sprite-Amber Ale) returns to racing after a two-month break in a 4th-5th Grade (520m) also at Albion Park on Thursday night.

Fahey's Magic has not started since finishing third behind Off The Richter at Gosford in a heat of the Summer Six Hundy on January 23.

“She hurt a hip support, then came on season,” said trainer Tyson Barton.

“She will certainly need a hit out on Thursday night but she is trialling fabulously and I expect her to run first three.”

Tyson had hoped to get Fahey's Magic up to 700m racing by now, but he plans to get her fitness levels back up before targeting the Carnival Chase (600m) at Albion Park, a $60,000-to-the-winner series on May 30 with the final on June 6.