Cadillac pair set to fight out Greyhound of the Year - Mount Gambier Week in Review
Cadillac pair set to fight out Greyhound of the Year
As far as the 2024 Category 2 Mount Gambier Greyhound of the Year (GOTY) is concerned, Cadillac Racing’s Mister Cadillac and Top Cadillac – both trained by Captain Abbott – now look to be sitting in pole position.
The white and brindle Mister Cadillac upset Paw Some Storm’s three-race winning streak when finishing strongly for a half-head win in the Greg Martlew Autos Mixed Stake (400 metres) in 23.08 seconds.
The son of Magical Bale and Koa Lass is predominantly a short-course greyhound who races mainly over 400 metres. This distance carries one less point (3) for a win than distances over more ground – 512, 600 and 732 metres.
Following last Sunday’s Tara Raceway meeting, Mister Cadillac has now won five races (15 Points) and run 15 seconds and four thirds – two points for second and one for third, irrespective of the distance. Currently he leads the GOTY with 49 points.
Kennelmate Top Cadillac, a son of Feral Franky and Establish, excels over more ground and picked up two points last Sunday when dead-heating for second behind Lektra Remi in the Cadillac Racing Mixed Stake (512 m).
In a keenly-contested race, Top Cadillac settled mid-field behind the leader Lektra Remi before finishing strongly along the rails to grab equal second spot in 29.98 seconds.
With nine wins, three seconds and three third placings Top Cadillac now sits in second spot on 45 points. He is one point clear of third placed Purified who is currently off the scene.
As far as the Mount Gambier GOTY is concerned, Abbott boasts a pretty good record. In 2019 Black Spring was successful and in 2021 the Edenhope-based trainer won the award with Another Pick.
And last year it was Cadillac Racing training partner Kerry Hawker who was successful with Nero Valentino.
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Cherie returns to the track for 50th birthday
There were patrons at last Sunday’s Tara Raceway meeting who still remembered one-time Hamilton greyhound trainer Daryl Miethke who also raced at the Mount Gambier track back in the nineties.
In what was a nice touch, the Miethke clan – Alice, Cherie, Jane and Jenny, along with Brendan Lord and Dale Hewson – made the trip over from Hamilton, Casterton and Mitta Mitta to specially celebrate Cherie’s 50th birthday at the greyhound track.
And they were dressed for the occasion, wearing colourful custom-made shirts emblazoned all over with the name Cherie and whopping big number 50s.
Matriarch Alice Miethke still recalls their first greyhound.
“She was by Bowetzel out of Dunmilo and we named her Darkness. Not only was she our first greyhound she was also our best. Later on we bred four litters with her by Kid Campbell, Roy Trease, Tangairn and Street Wise. And many of her pups had ‘Darkness’ included in their names.”
Bendigo owner-trainer Aaron Blake also entered into the spirit of the occasion after My Girl Kellie led all the way in the Commercial Hotel Stake (512 m) for a 3½ length win over Our Damiro in 30.29 seconds.
And he was more than happy for My Girl Kellie to become better acquainted with the Miethke girls after she came off the track. That really made their day.
Meanwhile, it was only a few weeks ago that Princetown-based April Janssen won her first race with her first dog – Princetown Flyer – at Tara Raceway.
At the time Princetown Flyer was her only greyhound. But the team has now grown to two following the recent arrival of Swift Gift, a November 2022 daughter of Aston Rupee and Mepunga Bella, a winner of 16 races and $75,000 in prize money.
Swift Gift was a gift to April from Hall Of Fame breeder Barry Smith after the fawn bitch had been struggling to run out a strong 500 metres in Victoria.
She had made her Tara Raceway debut the previous week, pleasing connections with a third placing behind Sean’s Matilda over 400 metres.
Back last Sunday for the Gordon Refrigeration Maiden Stake (400 m), Swift Gift quickly put herself into the race from box eight before taking up the running off the back and going on to a 2½ length win in 23.87 seconds.
April was not in attendance but there was still plenty of the family on course to celebrate the win – father Paul Herry, along with Riki, Paula, Ben and young handler Louis Janssen all pretty happy with the result.
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A family day at the dogs
It’s fair to say there’s plenty happening at the Terang greyhound complex of husband and wife team Mark and Catherine Roberts. Such much so, in fact, these days Catherine rarely makes the trip over to Mount Gambier for race meetings at Tara Raceway.
But Mark was over last week for the Thursday time-graded meeting and duly landed a double with the Catherine-trained pair of Bluer Than Blue in the Da’Leni Meats Maiden Stake (305 metres) and Duke Caboom, winner of the Winning Post Supplies TG1-4W Stake (400 m).
By Tommy Shelby out of Shim’s Heart, first starter Bluer Than Blue was bred and is owned by Mark, who also trained the dam, a winner for him at Geelong and also on four occasions at Mount Gambier over 512 metres and 600 metres.
“Actually we didn’t have a lot to work with as far as this litter was concerned given that Shim’s Heart whelped only one blue dog,” Roberts said.
“But the result was better a second time around after she whelped seven dogs and one bitch by Good Odds Harada. They are now 12 months old.”
And last Thursday, Bluer Than Blue, a February 2023 whelping, did the job pretty well when overcoming a slow start from box five before quickly finding the front and running out a two length winner over Herman The Brute in 18.33 seconds.
Duke Caboom never looked like losing the final race when leading all the way from box two and eventually defeating Bob Deeds by 5½ lengths in 23.24 seconds.
By Aston Rupee out of Boom Foot, the win by Duke Caboom was his first since relocating to Terang at the end of July. The win also brought up the trainer’s first Tara Raceway double since August 2022 when she had been successful with Concrete Comedy and Nyssa’s Girl.
Also keeping it in the family were Warrnambool-based Rob and Linda Gore who scored a tidy win with Moonlight Comet in the Trackside Pet Meats Pick 6 TG1-4W Stake (400 m).
Owned by Linda and trained by her husband Rob – also the Warrnambool Greyhound Racing Club president – Moonlight Comet led all the way from box four, running out a five length winner over Ernie Deeds in 23.53 seconds.
Moonlight Comet is by Flying Ricciardo out of Mossy Girl, a five-race Victorian winner and a litter sister to $100,000 winner Kinloch Moss.
Mossy Girl’s previous litter, by Cosmic Rumble, includes local stayer Send It Blue who late last year and early in 2024 strung together five consecutive wins at Angle Park and Mount Gambier.
Artificial Blue, raced by another husband and wife team in Calum and Jazmyn Blake from Simson in Victoria, brought up his first Tara Raceway win this year when successful in the Klaassens Contractors TG5+W Stake (512 m).
Boasting a pretty handy overall race record at the local track, the 80-start son of Raw Ability and Dubovka settled in second spot before finding the front turning for home and running out a 1½ length winner over Anna Rhode in 30.12 seconds.
Purdeet owner-trainer Annette Kampman, over with husband Colin, was back among the winners at Tara Raceway after veteran chaser Myola Sunrise led all the way in the Cadillac Racing TG5+W Stake (400 m) and defeated Chief Pow Wow by 1½ lengths in 23.47 seconds.
The win was Kampman’s first at Tara Raceway since early June when Myola Thalia had been successful. It was also Myola Sunrise’s first win in 12 months and her first at the local track since November 2022.
By Black Bear Lee, a winner of 21 races and more than $180,000 in prize money, Myola Sunrise is out of Lieu Knee Annie who raced on 29 occasions for one win.
A rising six-year-old, Myola Sunrise has now raced on 170 occasions for 16 wins, 49 minor placings and prize money of more than $30,000.
Taking time honours in the 512 metre Fast Forward heats was the Tracie Price trained Sudoku Jaxon who opened his Mount Gambier winning account with an emphatic 4½ length win in the second of two heats over Princess To Burn in 29.97 seconds.
The first five placegetters from the second heat qualified for this week’s final. Jacaranda, Crymelon Ivy and Agon Caramel virtually went over the line as one in the first heat in a considerably slower 30.68 seconds and also made it through to the final.
Local hopes through to city final
Locally owned and trained greyhounds Bourne Model and Canya Striker have won their way through to Thursday night’s $14,275 Leigh Rogers grade 6 feature final (530 metres) at Angle Park.
Raced by Christine Yourgules, David Peckham, Kevin Douglas and Kev Patzel, Bourne Model – who drew box one in the third of six heats – took the lead going out of the first turn before running away to a 3½ length win over Auntie Clare in 30.73 seconds.
Trained at Allendale East by Peckham, the daughter of Feral Franky and Sweet On Me continues to race well. Earlier in the year she won the John Reid Memorial Maiden (512 m) and Cadillac Racing Winter Classic (512 m) at Tara Raceway prior to reaching the SA Oaks final at Angle Park.
And Peckham will be hoping for better luck in this year’s final than back in 2021 when Midnight Bandit finished a luckless fourth behind Don’t Tell Lies in the Leigh Rogers.
Also jumping from box one was Canya Striker who looked to be in all sorts of strife early after being slowly away at his first look at the track and then receiving a check going out of the first turn.
But the son of Shima Shine and Joyful quickly sorted himself out and finished the race off strongly when defeating Terrific Lucy by 1¾ lengths in 30.94 seconds – and perhaps promising better things to come.
Canya Striker is owned by Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club manager Mark Dwyer who recently purchased the black dog from Victoria after he had won his maiden over 715 metres at Sandown Park back in August.
Now training Canya Striker for Dwyer is Meningie-based Tim Richards – two starts for two wins in SA after a first-up win at Murray Bridge. The connection is one that goes back many years to when their fathers had been associated.
The Leigh Rogers Memorial is a series that recognises the former Greyhound Racing SA Food and Beverage manager. And it’s a race that has been won by some more than handy greyhounds on their way up including Coorong Lucy, Fly For Trix and Victa Damian.
Interestingly, the inaugural Leigh Rogers was run in 2017 and won by Lonely Cowboy who was trained by Carole Scott, wife of Brenton, the current GRSA Chief Executive Officer.
Successful the following year was Kirin Corby’s Tauwitchere who went on to win 19 races and more than $263,000 in prize money.
The box draw for the 2024 Leigh Rogers final is: 1 He’s Magic (Liz Chegia), 2 Starburst Candy (Darrell Johnstone), 3 Dakota Mila (Colin Simes), 4 Darcy Dakota (Kerry Stagg), 5 One Two Me (Brenda Oakey), 6 Canya Striker (Tim Richards), 7 Bourne Model (David Peckham), 8 Mitzi Rocks (Cameron Forshaw). Reserves: 9 Scary Eyes (Cameron Forshaw), 10 Cherry Lane (Cameron Forshaw).