Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Big Tilly crosses the border for the first time on Friday afternoon to contest the South Eastern Hotel Stake (400 m) at Tara Raceway’s time-graded 12-race meeting.

Not that she’s short on race experience, the 3½-year-old black bitch lining up on Friday for her 112th start for Grovedale (a suburb of Geelong) owner-trainer Shaun Baulch.

By Phenomenal, the dog that ran a track record of 24.83 seconds in a heat of the 2014 Warrnambool Classic (450 m), she’s out of five-race winner Enduro Miss.

Big Tilly made her race debut in March 2017 at Geelong but it would be nine months and 50 starts later before she opened her winning account up the straight at Healesville over 300 metres.

Now, 12 months later, Baulch is still chasing an elusive second win, although not through lack of trying with the durable 29 kilogram bitch since going around a further 60-odd times.

All told, Big Tilly has a race record of one win, 6 seconds and 12 thirds and certainly speaks volumes for her trainer’s perseverance.

Baulch also has Kimura engaged in the same race from box seven. The daughter of Djays Octane and Annabelle won on debut at Shepparton in March this year but has yet to win again in 42 starts.

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