Dave goes the distance on Father’s Day - Mount Gambier Week in Review
Dave goes the distance on Father’s Day
It’s not too often that a full field lines up in a distance event at Tara Raceway.
But at last Sunday’s meeting eight greyhounds contested the Metal Worx Free For All – a race in which only a half-length separated the first three placegetters, Sher Zany, Waringah Bale and Osprey Diva, at the end of the 732 metre journey.
And Sher Zany, purchased for $3000 in June by Dave Green and Jason Newman, opened his winning account over the distance when turning the tables on Waringah Bale from the week prior with a half-length win in 43.93 seconds.
By Konomi out of Sherbini, Sher Zany has now won four races – two over 600 metres at Tara Raceway and one at Angle Park over 595 metres prior to last Sunday’s win – for Millicent trainer Green.
For Green, the win was a good way to celebrate Father’s Day given that wife Keston and daughters Kaia and Hadlie were also on track to cheer on Sher Zany.
Also on track and celebrating Father’s Day were Murray Bridge East trainer Damien Smith, accompanied by his wife Lauren and children Stefan and twins Allegra and Bentley.
The Smith-trained Apilla had run second the previous week to Bourne Model in the Cadillac Racing Winter Classic (512 m) and was looking to make amends in the Brenton Scott Hall Of Fame Stake (512 m).
The daughter of My Redeemer and Rosie Red looked to have the job ahead of her down the back straight when well back in the field before finishing strongly in the home straight for a 1¼ length win over early leader Stevie’s Girl in 30.11 seconds.
It was the start of a good couple of days for Smith who followed up last Sunday night with litter sister Bookaloo who led all the way at Murray Bridge over 455 metres in a best of night 25.50 seconds.
And then at Angle Park on Monday night it was Weblec Marquise who made it three wins in two days at three tracks for Smith when successful for a fourth time in SA after relocating from Queensland.
Peter Franklin made the trip over from Mortlake with Ringer’s Girl, a nicely-bred daughter of Aston Rupee and Two Phones who won 15 races on Victorian tracks and more than $59,000 in prize money.
Raced by Vanessa Lenehan, wife of Laharum horse trainer Steve, Ringer’s Girl was having her first run at Tara Raceway on the back of three unplaced runs over 390 metres at Warrnambool.
“The Lenehans had initially been on to me to train her but at the time I didn’t have a kennel for her. In the end, though, they took a dog that I had waiting to be placed in GAP and Ringer’s Girl came to me for pre-training,” Franklin said.
“She came in season a week after arriving so that held things up a bit but she did everything right in the pre-training phase. She was certainly genuine although perhaps not quite as quick as I would have liked. But are they ever?”
Ringer’s Girl quickly found the front from box four in the Carlin & Gazzard Maiden Stake (400 m) and eventually ran out a 1½ length winner over Billy Bronco in 23.65 seconds. And in doing so she presented Vanessa Lenehan with her first winner.
A couple of races last Sunday could have made for even more interesting stories had the results gone a little differently. And that’s certainly not looking to take anything away from the winners.
The Federal Hotel Mixed Stake (400 m) was won by the David Peckham trained Bourne Nancy while the interesting runner was sixth-placed Penny Pinto, trained at Penshurst by Brendan Casey.
Penny Pinto, back after a seasonal spell, was purchased as a pup by Penshurst legend John Burow who passed away two years ago last Sunday.
The daughter of Fernando Bale and Weeona Dotty has won six races from 21 starts. And the Penshurst contingent on track would have been hoping for another win to mark the second anniversary of Burow’s death.
One-dog trainer Kevin Finn, accompanied by daughter Marita, was back at Tara Raceway last Sunday with Anna Rhode, a winner of six races from only 15 starts.
Anna Rhode, a daughter of Fernando Bale and Delta Rhode, had been off the track since last October when running second at Warrnambool over 450 metres.
In the meantime she had whelped a litter of two dogs by Bernardo back in April prior to joining Finn’s Warrnambool kennel.
The white and fawn bitch ran fourth behind another Peckham-trained dog in Bourne Nicko in the Williams Crane Hire Stake (400 m).
Back among the winners
As far as greyhound racing in Mount Gambier goes, there’s not much that Allan Holmes of Moorak hasn’t been tied up with.
His involvement goes back to the Glenburnie days when greyhound racing was conducted at the thoroughbred track. And to the early days when he volunteered his services at the track, owned and trained greyhounds and attended committee meetings.
There was also the sponsorship of local awards, Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club life membership in 2012 and along the way some success as an owner.
“Moorak Flyer, a son of Dancing Memory and Delmarni, who was bred by Connie Miller, won 14 races when trained for me by Steve Bartholomew. He also reached the final of two consecutive Mount Gambier Cups.
“And in 2013 when the SA Country Cup was resurrected it was Moorak Hope, trained by Tracie Price, who flew the flag for Mount Gambier when winning the 531 metre event at Gawler,” Holmes said.
It’s now been two years since he took up training again, this time with a greyhound picked up from Victoria called Way To Stand – a five-race winner at the time by Don’t Knocka Him out of Little Fran.
“At around about the same time I’d also purchased a couple of bitch pups from Tracie by My Redeemer out of Galactic Mojo, a winner of eight races at Mount Gambier and a litter sister to Galactic Athena who won the 2019 Mount Gambier Cup,” Holmes said.
“I’d always believed the only way to get hold of a good greyhound was to breed or purchase a pup and hope to get lucky. In the meantime Way To Stand would help to fill in the time while I waited for the pups to reach racing age.”
Way To Stand won a race in October 2022 over 512 metres at Tara Raceway and after being sparingly raced during the next 12 months was retired.
Holmes said the breaking-in report on the pups suggested they were slow out and would have to find a bit. And their initial trials upon return to Moorak had the pair displaying very little early pace but well-behaved in the kennels.
So far, only Moorak Sally has raced for Holmes and his son Tim. Runs in a heat and final of the Reid Memorial (512 m) resulted in a couple of unplaced efforts behind smart types Saint Raine and Bourne Model.
Then, at her third start, Moorak Sally was beaten by 4¼ lengths in early August by My Girl Kellie in a maiden/one win stake over 512 metres.
“Actually, I thought she was a bit unlucky at her last start so when she came out and drew box two in last Thursday’s Williams Crane Hire Maiden Stake (400 m) I thought she was close to a win.”
And that’s how it turned out. Moorak Sally, after sharing the lead early, took up the running and was never headed when defeating Herman The Brute by three-quarters of a length in 23.88 seconds.
“It was certainly a great thrill to win a race with a dog that we had purchased as a pup and then watched grow up,” Holmes said. “To be honest, if I could find a decent brood bitch I wouldn’t mind breeding a litter of my own.”
Meanwhile, Berringa trainer Michael Niele, after trebles at Tara Raceway on May 2 and July 4, landed another bag of three when Amali Moo, Property Mogul and Silver Streak were successful at last Thursday’s time-graded meeting.
By Aston Dee Bee out of Acoustic Lee, Property Mogul is a litter sister to Acoustic Flash, a winner of three races at Tara Raceway for Niele.
And Property Mogul looked pretty good when leading all the way from box one in the Icon Signs TG5+W Stake (400 m) for a 5½ length win over Compton Brockie in a best of day 23.08 seconds.
Silver Streak, a daughter of Cosmic Chief and Miss Heart, also impressed in the final race, the Produce Store TG1-4W Stake (400 m), with an all the way win over Hotfoot Swizzle in 23.26 seconds.
Majestic Max, Big Deb Osti and Rocket Susie made up Niele’s treble on May 2 and Rusty Wheels, Here For Glory and Big Deb Osti on July 4.
Federal Hotel rewards local club
Dev, assistant manager of Commercial Street East’s Federal Hotel, was recently out at Tara Raceway for a Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club’s Sunday race meeting where he caught up with some of the hotel’s regulars.
A group of Federal Hotel regulars are involved in a rewards card scheme whereby proceeds go to the local greyhound club. An appreciative MGGRC president Noel Perry said the scheme was working very well.\
“Also, the Pick 5 Punters Club is in operation every Sunday afternoon at the Federal Hotel. With an entry fee of $5, patrons are required to pick the winners of the last five races at Tara Raceway,” he said.
“The winner or winners take the pool and also receive four $50 hotel vouchers.”
Dev also took the opportunity to catch up with Culburra, a brilliant winner of the Federal Hotel Stake (400 metres) in 23.05 seconds for Murray Bridge East trainer Damien Smith and Meningie owners Cameron and Yvonne Butcher.
Meanwhile, the MGGRC’s long-running weekly free Pick 6, sponsored by Tracie and Karen Price of Trackside Pet Mets, is proving to be elusive for Sunday’s on-course patrons given that it’s now been 12 months since it had last been won.
Commencing at $100 and jackpotting each week by $10 until reaching $500, the Pick 6 was last won by Glenroy-based Richard Clayfield after Compton Wink, Pat The Rat, Mr. Deeds, Mary Bridget, Mason Lava and Hooked On Love were successful in races three to eight.
For Clayfield, the win had come after 26 years of incorrect entries.
Incidentally, Tracie Price enjoyed a successful day last Thursday at Tara Raceway with Compton Wink and Lakeview Heather and later at Warrnambool with Wild Banker and Bad Move.
Compton Wink, after overcoming a slow start in a TG1-4W stake (400 m), railed through to take the lead off the back before running home strongly for a three length win over Is He Lucky in 23.46 seconds.
And Lakeview Heather led all the way in the Greg Martlew Autos TG5+W Stake (512 m) for a 4¼ length win over Classy Shot in 29.90 seconds.
Then, at Warrnambool, Wild Banker led all the way over 450 metres to win in 25.45 seconds and Bad Move, after racing wide turning for home, scored a narrow 390 metre win in 22.17 seconds.
Also, two locally-owned greyhounds in Yoda Lady and Huntsman are through to the $7500 final of the Kings & Queens (530 m) at Angle Park on Thursday night.
Yoda Lady, a daughter of Blazin Wildfire and Galactic Athena, and owned at Worrolong by Steve and Lee Bartholomew, ran a 2½ length third to Lenny’s Honey in the Queens heat in 30.59 seconds.
Huntsman, a son of Koblenz and Maddison Kaye, is raced by Compton owner Robert Chuck who in July sent the fawn dog to trainer Manuel Stuppos, also the breeder of the litter.
He finished strongly in the Kings heat for a 4¼ length third in 30.37 seconds behind Nowhere Man – both heat winners littermates to Huntsman and based at Strathalbyn with Manuel and Debbie Stuppos.
And following the box draw for the final, both Huntsman and Yoda Lady look to have done pretty well and will jump from boxes one and two respectively.