Storm Surrounds Stroller's Third Geelong Cup Bid

MELBOURNE Cup-winning trainer Paul Bartolo has been placed under great "stress" ahead of Storm Stroller's third consecutive appearance in the Group 2 Geelong Gold Cup Final (520m) on Friday night.

Veteran local sprinter Storm Stroller incredibly qualified for a third crack at his hometown Cup when continuing his love affair with Geelong in last Friday night's heats.

A March '20 son of Fernando Bale and Leprechaun Storm, also bred and raced by Bartolo and wife Diane, Storm Stroller clocked 30.59, the ‘slowest' of the seven heat winners.

The time – albeit ten lengths outside Storm Stroller's 29.86 PB – didn't detract from the track specialist's remarkable feat.

However, instead of being feted for the achievement, as late as Wednesday afternoon, the Bartolos were uncertain whether the four-year-old would take his place in the $75,000 to-the-winner Cup.

The Little River trainer/breeders feared Storm Stroller would be scratched by GRV stewards, due to his status as an ‘early start' greyhound, before receiving clarification from the governing body.

"I've felt sick all day with the stress I've been going through," Paul Bartolo said on Wednesday afternoon.

"I think it's been handled very poorly. 

"We should be celebrating, but I've been worried they (GRV stewards) were going to scratch the dog."

A statement provided to The Greyhound Recorder by a GRV spokesperson on Wednesday said:

"Storm Stroller currently has an ‘early race' endorsement approved by Stewards, which means where possible that greyhound would be placed in a race conducted no later than race six on a program.

"Storm Stroller will be permitted to compete in the Geelong Gold Cup should trainer Paul Bartolo choose to run him in the event, but will be subject to a veterinary examination prior to the race."

Storm Stroller is the outsider of the Cup field at $26 after drawing box four, as was the case in his heat.

"Hopefully it might be third time lucky!" Bartolo said.

"He was in a hard heat and to be honest, I didn't give him a chance from box four. 

"He had some luck, there was a bit of a scrimmage and he took the gap.

"He's going to need luck again. I think one (Ethanol Volume), two (Ethanol Extra) or three (Oregon Durrant) will probably win, but you never know."

Storm Stroller's heat victory was his sixth win from nine assignments over Geelong's 520m course.

His two second placings include a runner-up finish to superstar Kelsey Bale in last year's Cup Final, while he ran seventh in 2022 to Yozo Bale, which was also contesting the Cup for the third time.

"He hasn't won a Group race yet, he's just a battler. I call him ‘The Battler'," Bartolo said.

"He really looked after us when we were having some hard times and didn't have the good dogs we've had recently.

"He's probably lost four lengths over the years, but he's still as mad as a rattlesnake!

"He's a beautiful dog but as soon as you start working other dogs he goes berserk. It's the same when he gets to the track.

"I hoped he might calm down as he got older but he's still crazy!"

Storm Stroller is a product of the Bartolos' famed ‘Leprechaun' dam-line that produced a memorable Melbourne Cup quinella in 2006 with champion Betty's Angel defeating litter sister Miss Mini Mouse.

And winning their home track Cup for the first time in Storm Stroller's third attempt would be incredibly special.

"I'd love to win it; it would be a real honour," Bartolo said.