Angle Park Preview - 4th February 2021
ANGLE PARK PREVIEW - 4th February 2021
By The Shadow
We have a massive 12 event programme ahead of us tonight with the highlights being four heats of the 2021 St Leger which are races 1 through to 4, there are certainly are some smart youngsters engaged that will definitely make for a terrific final here at head quarters next week. Later in the evening we see the Lauren Harris trained sprinter Shadow Mist (race 8 ) start from box 1, he has been in superb form of late and he looks very hard to beat, once again all races are Trifecta and First Four events.
Race 1 - Jacks Well was very impressive from this draw last week when winning in 29.87 by over 6 lengths, he will be at skinny odds and should win again. Victa Mikey handles a wide draw and looks a place hope, add Runaway Lad for the place. Box Up 1.2.7.8
Race 2 - The 2nd of the St Leger heats and the Troy Murray trained Major Major has the credentials to win here, he is back to his pet distance and will take catching. Heckle Me proved to strong last week for us and sent us home on a winning note, he can run into the placings. Victa Grosso has early pace and is a definite trifecta hope. Box Up 1.4.7.8
Race 3 - The 3rd of the heats and the Murray kennel could bring up a race to race double if Like A Librarian salutes, he won here two starts back in 29.74 leading throughout so we will put him on top. Gemtree Maximus has a good turn of early dash and is chance along with Oakvale Style. Box Up 1.4.6.7
Race 4 - This is the final heat of the SA St leger and the Jane Mcnicholl Fly For Trix is a very smart type and loves a wide draw, he has a personal best of 29.45 at this venue and is boxed for a bold showing. Zipping Cola is a moody performer, he can be hit and miss on lid rise and the draw will bring him right into the mix. Box Up 1.3.6.8
Race 5 - Mepunga Isla has been racing well of late and has been placed at Sandown and Bendigo in recent runs, she has her fair share of ability and looks the testing material. Mister Harlewood was a very good effort over the sprint last week, he won over this trip prior and is right in this. Box Up 3.5.6.7.
Race 6 - This is a wide open affair with several chances, Bad Lieutenant is my top pick as he has the pace to lead. Maximum Refusal is now in the Murray kennel and is a big chance on his debut, add My Oh Fernando and Aston Cosmo for the First Four. Box Up 2.3.4.5
Race 7 - Chief Sebon gets his chance here from a nice draw he won here five runs back in a smart 29.93 from this draw and was pipped here last start when 2nd, is one of the main chances if steps. Buddy Guy is on the improve and is another who has dash, he is in the leading kennel and can’t be overlooked. Box Up 2.4.5.7
Race 8 - Shadow Mist will be a short price favourite in this, he is a top-quality sprinter who has won his past two here in slick times. Rushes has his fair share of ability, he chased the one dog through out here last week and never gave up. Major Havoc will be running on as will Blister who loves to fill a place. Box Up 1.2.5.7
Race 9 - I love my distance racing and tonight is no different ,the main chances look to be the inform Raylene Bale who has won four of her last five and Miss Bellawood who has a good turn of early pace and is a chance of pinching this with the later being my top selection. Miss Takiri and Barbados Express can fill the minors. Box Up 1.2.5.8
Race 10 - Nicole Price always has a handy one in her kennel and Stress the Point looks to be a more than handy type, he has won two of his last four at Gawler and his early pace brings him right into this. Victa Saige is normally a tardy beginner, she is very strong and is well drawn. Box Up 2.4.5.7
Race 11 - Stanley Keeping was very impressive at his debut when 2nd beaten a long neck coming from midfield in 30.05, he looks well drawn and take a power of beating from the draw. Select Hypo has good form and is amongst the chance along with Justice for All who is knocking on the door. Box Up 1.5.7.8
Race 12 - It has been a big night of racing with the 12 events and the St Leger heats, Fantastic Pippa is back in grade and is my pick to send us home on a winning note Yenderra Evie drops back in distance and will be rattling home add Fantastic Raven who has handy Murray Bridge form. Box Up 1.2.5.8
Best Bets
Race 7, No: 2 - Chief Sebon
Race 12, No: 5 - Fantastic Pippa
Best Each-way
Race 10, No: 2 - Victa Saige
Best Roughie
Race 9 No: 1 - Miss Takiri
GRSA TEXT SERVICE
Participants are reminded, if they have not already done so, to provide GRSA with your mobile phone number to enable text messages to be sent updating you with the most current information in the industry.
KENNEL CAPERS ONCE A MONTH
The monthly Kennel Capers for February will be released next week so make sure you grab yourself a copy.
Remember to keep up to date with weekly updates and media releases using the GRSA website at www.grsa.com.au.
ANGLE PARK THURSDAY
Next weeks Angle Park meeting features –
$$8,580 SA St. Leger Final – 515m (For greyhounds whelped on or after 1/7/18. Heats – 4/2/21)
$3,585 Heats Mixed Masters Feature – 515m ($4,715 Final 18/2/21. Masters Conditions apply. N/P)
$2,255 AGRC Feature Maiden Heats – 515m ($5,000 Final 18/2/21)
$3,880 Mixed – 600m
$5,120 FFA – 731m
Nominations close Monday 8th February with GRSA at 9.00am.
BOY FROM THE BUSH
The Boy from the Bush gives his selections for tonight’s exciting night of racing at Angle Park.
First 4 selections –
Race 1: 1,2,5,8
Race 2: 4,1,2,8
Race 3: 8,6,7,4|
Race 4: 8,6,1,4
Race 5: 6,3,5,7
Race 6: 5,2,3,8
Race 7: 6,5,3,8
Race 8: 1,4,2,5
Race 9: 5,8,1,2
Race 10: 5,2,7,1
Race 11: 1,7,4,5
Race 12: 5,2,8,4
Best Bets: Race 11, No. 1 - Stanley Keeping
Each-Way: Race 12, No. 5 - Fantastic Pippa
Roughie: Race 3, No. 8 - Outstanding News
LOCAL NEWS
SIR TRUCULENT WINS SA GREYHOUND OF THE YEAR
The 2020 SA Greyhound of the Year was Sir Truculent for trainer Wally Harkins which was announced at a Gala Event held at Angle Park last Saturday night.
SA’s staying star Sir Truculent was voted the winner with 31 votes ahead of a stellar line up of sprinters that included Coorong Lucy (21 votes), Shadow Mist (20 votes), Major Major (17 votes ) and Golden Night (16 votes). Sir Truculent is SA Bred and Owned by his trainer Wally Harkins Sir Truculent’s exploits on the track in 2020 were outstanding with 28 wins and 11 placings from his 46 starts, with $145,350 in prizemoney. He dominated the local staying ranks winning the State Final of the SA Distance Championship, the Premier’s Cup and the Staying Cup all over his beloved 731m journey at Angle Park along with the State’s premier middle distance event, the Shane McQueen over 600m. He competed interstate with great heart running second in the Group 1 Bold Trease at Sandown and fifth in the Group 1 Topgun Stayers at the Meadows in Victoria.
Sir Truculent will compete in tonights Listed Gold Cup Final at Albion Park (Race 6 no 1 @ 8.10pm SA time) whilst in the care of QLD trainer Tony Brett. After tonight will then head to Melbourne for their big staying events where Wally will be reunited with Sir Truculent once again.
Sir Truculent has been invited and accepted into the Group 1 Zoom Top at the Meadows on Saturday 13th February where he will take on a stellar line up of stayers. SA owned Run Like Jess has also accepted an invitation for this race so there will be plenty of SA flavor on Saturday week.
ST LEGER HEATS TONIGHT
Four terrific heats have been drawn tonight for the 2021 SA St Leger series at Angle Park. There are some outstanding young sprinters engaged throughout the series all looking to qualifying for next weeks $8,580 final on Thursday, 11th February.
The first heat is race 1 due to start at 6.40pm SA time and features the short priced favourite Jack’s Well looking to make it back to back victories taking on Runaway Lad and Canya Go Wild.
Race 2 is heat 2 and features Group 3 Gawler Cup winner Major Major looking very hard to beat against the likes of Oakvale Impact and Victorian visitor Miss Tickle.
Race 3 is heat 3 and is the most open of all 4 heats. Like A Librarian will do battle with Oakvale Style, Gemtree Maximus and Burn The Box.
Race 4 caps of all four heats and see’s one of the favourites for the series Fly For Trix matching up against Rugged And Ready and Dakota Roxy.
The first two from each heat will qualify for next week’s final with the box draw to be conducted oncourse after the running of race 5 tonight.
G-SIX IN RACE NAMES
GRSA over the past few years have been highlighting the G-SIX races in the race names, however, this can have an effect on sponsors names, heat and final titles in the race book and on the website being cut off.
With it accepted that GRSA runs a mixture of 6 dog fields and 8 dog fields generally we will remove the G-SIX from the race name.
AGRC MAIDEN SERIES AT ANGLE PARK – NOMINATIONS CLOSE ON MONDAY
The AGRC have sponsored a Maiden Series at Angle Park over the 515m with $2,255 Heats on Thursday, 11th February with the $5,000 Final on Thursday, 18th February.
We would like to thank the AGRC for their generous sponsorship.
• Nominations for the Heats close Monday, 15th February at 9.00am.
MIXED MASTERS SERIES AT ANGLE PARK – NOMINATIONS CLOSE ON MONDAY
We have a Mixed Masters Series at Angle Park over the 515m with 3,585 Heats on Thursday, 11th February with the $4,715 Final on Thursday, 18th February.
• Nominations for the Heats close Monday, 15th February at 9.00am.
SATURDAY MORNING FORTNIGHTLY MEETINGS
We introduced the fortnightly Saturday morning meeting at Angle Park with these meetings being Time Graded with alternate conditions as this is the biggest group or greyhounds.
The next meeting will be on this Saturday with a 10 race card with the first at 9.17am and the last at 11.54am.
The next meeting after that will be on Saturday, 6th February which will be a Timed Graded Meeting - “Worst to Best” rating. Maiden AND 5+ WIN RACES WILL HAVE FIRST PREFERENCE
Greyhounds graded into 3 categories. Maidens, 1-4 wins & 5 or more wins. Specific grades of greyhounds are not considered except for Maidens. Races–N/P with Pathway Prizemoney. Reserves will be determined by Grader. There will be No Guarding. Refer to “Time Based Grading” published conditions.
• Nominations close Tuesday, 16th February at 9.00am.
MOUNT GAMBIER TO RACE TWICE A WEEK FROM JANUARY
With Victorian trainers now eligible to nominate for Mount Gambier this will allow the resumption of two weekly race meetings per week at Mount Gambier, with both Thursday and Sunday meetings being included in the Sky schedule this month.
The Thursday meetings will be Time Graded events (Maidens, 1-4 wins and 5+ wins) with only 400m plus events programmed and the Sunday meetings will be the normal graded meetings with the new 305m distance included under specific conditions.
With the resumption of two weekly meetings from the beginning of January 2021, GRSA has reverted the prizemoney levels at Mount Gambier back to the current Category 3 levels with a movement back to G-SIX across both meetings where possible.
305M START AT MOUNT GAMBIER FROM 24TH JANUARY
The 305m start will come into effect at Mount Gambier this Sunday, 24th January.
The Club has programmed Maiden Heats over 305m sponsored by Razza Racing, open to all Maiden greyhounds of any age. They will then progress to the Final on Sunday, 31st January with the Club appreciative of the sponsorship. The Club will then revert back to normal conditions that they had for the 277m for the 305m with -
Only two 305m races on Sundays, one for young Maiden greyhounds with the youngest greyhounds gaining entry first based on age. There will also be a Masters 305m with eligible greyhounds being selected on age with the oldest given first preference. Masters conditions is the same as races conducted in the Metro area with greyhounds 3¾ years and above eligible. (Masters can start on 31st January if sufficient nominations)
GRSA and the Mount Gambier GRC strongly recommend trainers nominate for multiple distances to ensure they do not miss out on a run at any meeting.
It is anticipated the 732m start will be available from 11th February.
Any changes to this schedule will be communicated to the industry via the normal channels.
305M NOT INCLUDED FOR TIME GRADING
With the introduction of the 305m at Mt Gambier on a restricted basis it will take some time to run enough races to use this data for Time Graded events.
At this time any 305m performances are not considered for Time Grading and it will be as if they have not competed in that event for TG purposes.
LAUNCHING PAD SA SERIES BEGINS ON 25TH FEBRUARY
Again this year the Sandown GRC offered sweepstakes tickets into the rich Launching Pad Series.
There are special conditions on the race, being for greyhounds that have won between 1 and 6 races and have not had more than 30 starts at close of their nominations.
The Heats will be run at Sandown over the 515m on Thursday, 18th March with the Semi-Finals on Thursday, 25th March and the $150,000 to the winner Final run on Thursday, 1st April. Greyhound Racing SA was able to secure a ticket and will give one greyhound the opportunity to compete in this lucrative series. We will run a Heat and Final series to determine who will make the Launching Pad Heats on 18th March.
Our Heats will be run on Thursday, 25th February over the 515m at Angle Park for greyhounds that have won 1-4 races and no more than 28 starts at close of nominations. The Heats will be worth $3,280 and will be Non Penalty events. The Final will be run at Angle Park on Thursday, 4th March over the 515m with prizemoney of $4,715 and will also be Non Penalty.
The winner of the Final will take their spot in the Launching Pad Heats two weeks later, however, if the winner for whatever reason cannot take their spot then the next qualified greyhound will be given that spot.
GRSA has restricted the series to 1-4 wins and 28 starts incase a greyhound wins both the Heat and Final so this will still keep them eligible. If greyhounds win outside the series this may deem them ineligible for the Sandown series. We have also made our Final two weeks before the Launching Pad Heats at Sandown to give the trainer an opportunity to get across the border and trial for the big race.
• Nominations close with GRSA for the SA Heats at 9am on Monday, 22nd February.
THE EASTAR – MATCH RACE SERIES AT GAWLER
The local South Australian match race series, nicknamed ‘The Eastar’, will be shifted to Gawler due to the track update of Angle Park, which is expected to be well underway by April 2021.
The series will be held on Easter Sunday night, 4th April at Gawler over the 531m. A big local crowd is expected for the meeting given the timing of the event and the public holiday the following day.
Greyhounds competing must be South Australian, based on the Nationals Championships conditions, which require greyhounds to be domiciled in the state for at least 76 days of the last 150 days prior to the close of nominations.
Selection for this series will be for the fastest greyhounds nominated, based on their best time over the Gawler 531m distance since 1st October 2020 (regardless of their placing). GRSA will regularly update and publish a leaderboard (top 25), so all trainers and connections are aware of where their greyhound stands up until the close of nominations on Wednesday, 31st March 2021.
There will be two lead up Preludes dates of the Eastar at Gawler. They will be normally graded events over the 531m worth a total of $3,585 (City A prizemoney) with the winner taking a Prov 1 penalty. They will be programmed for Sunday 28th February and Sunday 21st March with a Maximum of 2 preludes per meeting.
Greyhounds will also have an opportunity to post a time by solo trialling over the Gawler 531m (dates to be determined). Trainers wishing to pursue this option will require approval from the Grading Department, to ensure greyhounds are suitable for the event based on form and times run at other tracks. Greyhounds that sit on the leaderboard (top 25) will also be afforded the opportunity to improve their position by way of solo trialling.
Nominations for the Gawler ‘Eastar’ will close on Wednesday, 31st March 2021 at 9.00am, with the eight (8) fastest greyhounds selected for the local match race series. Reserves will be selected as per a final (based on time) and in the event of a scratching, reserve 9 will have preference over reserve 10.
The head-to-head matches will be decided based on the final leaderboard, with no manual intervention by the Grader, as per the following:
Match 1 – Seed 1 v Seed 4 (1st $2,750 - 2nd $350)
Match 2 – Seed 2 v Seed 3 (1st $2,500 - 2nd $350)
Match 3 – Seed 5 v Seed 8 (1st $2,250 - 2nd $350)
Match 4 – Seed 6 v Seed 7 (1st $2,000 - 2nd $350)
The prizemoney for the overall Eastar placegetters (based on individual times in the match races) will be:
- 1st $4,500 – 2nd $1,300 – 3rd $650
The overall winner of the Gawler Eastar will be guaranteed a spot in the State of Origin Match race series (SA V Vic), to be held at the newly developed Angle Park in September, as long as it is nominated and eligible to represent SA. As an added incentive the winner of the State of Origin Match Race Series guarantees itself a spot in the Group 1 Adelaide Cup in October and if successful will be guaranteed a spot in the Group 1 TOPGUN at the Meadows in November.
Current leader board – as 4th February 2021
| Greyhound_Name | Meeting_Date | Venue | Distance | Finish_Position | Run_Time |
| Velocity Bottino | 29-Nov-20 | Gawler | 531 | 1 | 30.54 |
| Ned's Chance | 10-Jan-21 | Gawler | 531 | 1 | 30.61 |
| Golden Night | 19-Oct-20 | Gawler | 531 | 1 | 30.67 |
| All Show | 6-Dec-20 | Gawler | 531 | 1 | 30.68 |
| Lily Pad | 20-Dec-20 | Gawler | 531 | 1 | 30.69 |
| Burning Nitro | 20-Jan-21 | Gawler | 531 | 1 | 30.71 |
| Stress The Point | 27-Jan-21 | Gawler | 531 | 1 | 30.72 |
| Untold | 13-Nov-20 | Gawler | 531 | 1 | 30.73 |
| Ashby Mayhem | 29-Nov-20 | Gawler | 531 | 2 | 30.77 |
| Major Major | 25-Oct-20 | Gawler | 531 | 1 | 30.79 |
| Bold Mirage | 20-Dec-20 | Gawler | 531 | 2 | 30.8 |
| Spring Cobra | 2-Oct-20 | Gawler | 531 | 1 | 30.8 |
| Springvale Arge | 23-Dec-20 | Gawler | 531 | 1 | 30.81 |
| Concede | 18-Nov-20 | Gawler | 531 | 1 | 30.81 |
| Springvale Issy | 30-Oct-20 | Gawler | 531 | 1 | 30.83 |
| Venus And Mars | 8-Oct-20 | Gawler | 531 | 1 | 30.84 |
| Emerley Phantom | 18-Nov-20 | Gawler | 531 | 2 | 30.85 |
| Like A Librarian | 3-Jan-21 | Gawler | 531 | 1 | 30.85 |
| Victa Mikey | 29-Nov-20 | Gawler | 531 | 1 | 30.86 |
| Zipping Marshall | 27-Dec-20 | Gawler | 531 | 1 | 30.87 |
| Air Marshall | 19-Oct-20 | Gawler | 531 | 1 | 30.87 |
| Threaten | 10-Jan-21 | Gawler | 531 | 2 | 30.89 |
| Sweet Rose | 18-Nov-20 | Gawler | 531 | 1 | 30.91 |
| Oakvale Style | 3-Jan-21 | Gawler | 531 | 1 | 30.94 |
| Hello I'M Jade | 2-Dec-20 | Gawler | 531 | 1 | 30.95 |
| Spofforth | 25-Oct-20 | Gawler | 531 | 1 | 30.95 |
| Spring Burner | 8-Oct-20 | Gawler | 531 | 2 | 30.95 |