Sport
26 June, 2024
We'll need some luck in Battle of the Bush final, says Finter
Damien Finter says Rebel Salute will need some things to go his way to be a winning chance.
Damien Finter will be praying for rain this week as he looks to the skies for some assistance after copping a horror barrier draw in the Battle of the Bush final.
The Mount Isa trainer has taken the best part of three weeks off work to give his qualifier Rebel Salute the best chance to succeed in the $200,000 race, but admits he might need some help from above to be a winning hope.
“It’s not ideal but that’s racing,” Finter told North West Weekly.
“We’ve travelled further than any other horse in the race and copped one of the worst barriers.”
Finter spent three days on the road to get Rebel Salute from Mount Isa to Eagle Farm and it was an adjustment for both horse and trainer.
“We spent the second night at Wieambilla and it was the coldest day of my life,” he said.
“It was minus three degrees in the morning and I had to run the Toyota for an hour to get the ice off the windows.”
Despite the acclimatisation, he said Rebel Salute had settled in well and hoped he would do the
region proud in the feature race.
“It’s a hard race and we’ll have to give a lot of horses a head start,” he said.
“He was always going to get back a little bit because he’s best left to settle in his races, find his feet and get home, but it’ll be tough from the wide barrier.”
The seven-year-old gelding was a city runner in the early stages of his career and showed a liking to wet tracks, with two wins from three starts on a heavy surface and two wins and six placings in nine attempts on a slow track.
Cheering on the horse will be the Miller and Hick families from cattle stations near Camooweal.
Rebel Salute’s owners include Linsday and Neil Miller, Lloyd, Wendy, Adam and Zachary Hick, along with Leonie Winks.
Partnering him in the saddle at Eagle Farm will be experienced jockey Micheal McDonald.
