Banjo Riley's first win in 7 months
Kim Johnstone is our kennel to follow this month, but it’s her mother Kathy who made us turn our heads last week when Banjo Riley won his first race in seven months. Seven months is a long time. It took NASA’S Mars Rover ‘Perseverance’ seven months of space travel to reach the red planet from Earth. Both Kathy and NASA’s persevered, and their persistence paid off at the 7-month mark!
It was at Gawler last Tuesday when Banjo Riley edged out the competition in a six-dog race where Banjo started as favourite with $2.80 odds. Into the first turn, Banjo snuck in front of Deedy and Flaming Bubbles and held his lead for the rest of the race, getting over the line by a convincing four lengths in 31.44s.
'Weirdly enough my maiden name is Riley!’, Kathy explained. Banjo Riley last stood on the podium at the start of the year on January 20, also winning at Gawler. The win before that was also at Gawler on November 10, 2020. ‘Apparently, he likes Gawler!’, Kathy continued.
‘He’s had a few weird injuries and he’s been running wide. He's been a bit of a slow learner. There was a stopper injury behind his wrist on his front legs. But after treating his injuries, he was showing promise and running races quite well.’
The win after a quiet seven months undoubtedly came as a surprise. ‘Oh, I thought thank god! At one stage I thought this was never going to happen.’
When it comes down to it, a win on the track is the goal, but you can’t get a win without putting in the hard yards first. You wouldn’t put in the hard yards in the first place if you didn’t love what you do.
Photo: Banjo Riley breaks a losing streak, winning by four lengths
Credit: Kurt Donsberg Photography