Ike Mc Corkindale and connections were all smiles, following the win of Zadie Bale.
Local pride is soaring in the cherry capital of Young, NSW, after trainer Ike McCorkindale and owner Brendan Wheeler secured a berth in the prestigious $50,000 Meteor Masters Final. Their black star, Zadie Bale, delivered a performance defined by heart and stamina to win her semi-final heat. The victory marks a career-defining moment for the Young-based connections, who have long held high hopes for the middle-distance specialist.
Zadie Bale was sent out from the challenging Box 3 draw for the 520-metre semi-final. The race began with early trouble for the McCorkindale runner, who was checked approaching the first bend and settled in third place as the field bunched up. However, McCorkindale’s meticulous preparation paid off handsomely.
The trainer, still under 30, noted, “She’s just coming off a few weeks off, so I’m pretty happy with the time and everything like that. She went well.” His focus on building deep-end stamina on the country circuits was crucial. Zadie Bale began to devour the ground down the back straight, swinging wide to avoid traffic and showing blistering late speed. She surged past the two tiring leaders in the final stages to secure a gritty win by a neck. McCorkindale revealed that the big race was always the plan: “She’s always aimed for the Meteor Masters. Like, she’s been going in the Masters for a few months now, and everyone’s seen her, so that was it.”
The young trainer was quick to credit the support of the Wheeler family, with whom he trains. “It’s a great feeling, they’re great people,” he said. “And just to get that calibre of dog at such a young age, it just makes it a lot easier.”
The foundation of that relationship is trust and education. “Their confidence in me gives me so much confidence, in terms of what to do with the dogs and things of that nature, and Brendan teaches you so much. It’s just good to be here.”
Reflecting on his training environment, McCorkindale spoke with awe about the facility. “I train from the Wheeler kennels. When I first rocked up there, I was like, ‘What is this? It is out of this world.’ It’s so good, love it out there.”
– Tully Potts
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