Shadale’s Tale


Jim Redenbach has enjoyed a lot of success in his 50 years in greyhound racing, but on Friday night he’s eyeing a shot at the biggest prize in the sport.

The spritely 68 year old has prepared some outstanding greyhounds in the past, including group race winners Hotshot and Shimaguni. While he believes that for a hobby trainer like him to win the TAB Melbourne Cup ‘would be a miracle,’ a striking blue dog with a ferocious will to win has Jim and his owners daring to dream.

Shadale burst on to the scene in February this year and has since won 13 of his 27 starts, amassing over $70,000 in prize money. He’s won seven of 10 starts at Sandown Park.

“Before his first run I said to the boys Shadale is going to be a pretty handy dog but how far he’s going to go is up to him.

“He’s won his last two at Sandown in pretty quick time, a Free For All and Prelude of the Melbourne Cup. So with a little bit of luck… well who knows what could happen.”

Despite only ever racing a small team, Redenbach is a regular at Sandown Park where he has won 12 races from just 30 starters in 2017 at a stunning strike rate of 40%. He has a simple philosophy when it comes to preparing his greyhounds to race.

“The dog is a man’s best friend,” he said

“You get very close to the animal, the animal tells you what they say not what you want. If you make sure they’re happy they’ll progress and win races. I believe that any athlete should be conditioned and fit. Most of my dogs have been successful, not many are champions but most of them win.”

Shadale is rated a $26 chance to win the TAB Melbourne Cup. He will jump from box 4 in race 11 on Friday night.

Click here for the latest TAB Melbourne Cup market.
Click here for your free form guide.

Jim Redenbach is daring to dream with his exciting youngster Shadale
Mick Floyd
About Mick Floyd - Mick is the Racing and Media Manager at Sandown Park and has 15 years of experience in the sport. He has a finely tuned talent for finding three legs of a quaddie. You can follow his ramblings on Twitter - @mickfloyd
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