Drought breakers headline Mount Gambier action
Last Thursday’s Mount Gambier time-graded meeting was a good day for three giveaway greyhounds – and their respective owners who had all been out of the winner’s circle for some time.
Coleraine owner-trainer Steve Colpoys had been chasing his first win since last December when Storm Shelter was successful at Tara Raceway.
Remo Trigger, lining up for her eighth start – her first for Colpoys – gave nothing else a chance in the Klaassens Contractors Maiden Stake (305 metres) when leading all the way and defeating Kevin’s Lane by six lengths in 17.82 seconds.
The diminutive 23½ kilogram Remo Trigger ran third at Tara Raceway at her previous start when trained by Colpoys’ brother Robert who is based at Bass.
“I didn’t think the run was all that bad given that she had worked home well but Robert was keen to move her on so with no dogs racing I said I’d take her as a giveaway,” Steve Colpoys said.
“It’s certainly good to be out walking again with a greyhound in the pine forest and it’s good to be back at the track.”
For Josh McDonald, the all the way win of Fried Giblet when defeating Two Broke Girls by three lengths in the Commercial Hotel Stake (400 m) in 23.77 seconds broke a 3½-year run of outs for the Murtoa owner-trainer.
“Yes, it was back in early 2020 that I last won a race here with Magnet Force,” said McDonald.
“A daughter of Peter Rocket and Maisy Mac, she also won at Ballarat, Bendigo and Horsham.
“All told, she won eight races and is certainly the best dog I’ve been associated with in my five-year involvement in the sport.”
Fried Giblet, a daughter of Orson Allen and 11-race Victorian provincial winner Nella Bale, was picked up as a giveaway from Bendigo by McDonald at the beginning of last month.
“Today was her first run for me as I had experienced a few problems in getting a start with her prior to coming over here,” he said. “And the win was a great thrill after all this time.”
But not everything went to plan last Thursday for McDonald.
“Here I was all loaded up and ready to head home. The only problem was the van wouldn’t start, so I called out the RAA but they also were unable to get it started.
“Fortunately, club manager Mark Dwyer was still on-course and he very kindly rang Compton trainer Tracie Price to see if he was able to help with a vehicle.
“And Tracie really saved the day. He couldn’t have been more helpful and got me out of a tight spot. I certainly can’t speak highly enough of him,” said the 40-year-old electrician.
McDonald said he had picked up the Mercedes van five years ago for $5000 after it had done 648,000 kilometres.
“Today was the first time I had ever experienced any trouble with it so I guess I can’t really complain.”
Local owner Mo Canala was back among the winners for the first time since November 2019 when Little Lina had been successful over 400 metres.
This time it was with Lakeview Jet who recently found himself in Canala’s ownership after local trainer Tracie Price had given the son of Bernardo x Lakeview Maisey to her in appreciation of her help on race days.
Previously a winner at Sale and Horsham, Lakeview Jet had found plenty of trouble at his first two Tara Raceway starts when finishing seventh and second respectively.
But in last Thursday’s Produce Store (400 m) the black dog virtually led all the way when defeating Stormin’ Frank by 1½ lengths in 23.34 seconds.
Little Lina raced on 85 occasions for three wins although one of those actually came about after she finished in second place but was awarded the race when the winner was subsequently disqualified.
Incidentally, Little Lina was a 16th birthday present to Canala from Cape Bridgewater owner-trainer Scott Blacksell.
These days, the 22-year-old Canala leads a pretty busy life. As partner of Matt, mother of 9-month-old Patrick, undertaking teacher placement, working towards her own greyhound trainer’s licence and helping out Price at race meetings.
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A top effort by Mary Bridget to win last Sunday’s Commercial Hotel Mixed Stake (512 metres) at Tara Raceway now has her long-time Worrolong trainer Steve Bartholomew giving serious consideration to the forthcoming Exchange Printers Anniversary Cup (512 m).
The brindle bitch led all the way from box six when defeating Nero Valentino by five lengths in a best of the day time of 29.71 seconds. And the win took her 512 metre record at the track to six wins from nine starts.
Speaking after the race, Bartholomew said Mary Bridget should be better for the run given that in recent times she has had little racing over 512 metres.
“In fact, today was the first time she had won over this distance at Tara Raceway since last year’s Mount Gambier Cup day in April when she defeated Rhonda Lily in a Mixed Stake in 29.41 seconds,” he said.
By the US sire Flying Stanley, Mary Bridget is out of Galactic Cat – a half-sister to the Bartholomew-trained Galactic Athena, winner of the 2019 Mount Gambier Cup. All told, she has now raced on 35 occasions for 15 wins, one of which was the 2021 Winter Classic by 9¼ lengths.
She is owned in partnership by Bartholomew and his wife Lee, who also race Mary Bridget’s litter brother Arctic Bear – the big white and brindle dog who has also won 15 races.
And if Bartholomew does take on this year’s Anniversary Cup he’ll be hoping for a better run than in 2021 when his last finalist, Rough Pearl, had no luck in what had been a rough-house affair.
Heats of the Anniversary Cup will be run on Sunday, July 16 with the $8000 final the following week.
Meanwhile, back on Thursday, June 22, time-graded meeting regular Tony Hinrichsen of Langhorne Creek landed a double with Correlate and On The Northerns.
Then, last Thursday he doubled up again with the pair – On The Northerns going the extra yard when winning the Fast Forward final over 512 metres.
Hinrichsen was also back again for Sunday’s meeting, this time successful with 17-month-old Jukebox Duke in the Swallow Drive Meats Maiden Stake (400 m).
Only fairly away from box two, Jukebox Duke railed through to find the front down the back before running out a two length winner over litter sister and kennelmate Zip Along Lulu in 23.50 seconds.
Owned by Mypolonga farmer Brad Frahn, also the owner of On The Northerns, the littermates are by Zipping Garth out of Mercedes Monelli – a winner of seven races at Cannington, Angle Park and Murray Bridge.
Frahn purchased the littermates at four months of age from Lewiston breeder Rob Harnas and subsequently reared and then later broke them in.
“I got the pair at 15 months of age for pre-training and I have to say Brad had done a really good job with them,” Hinrichsen said. “And they’re improving all the time.”
In March, Frahn also bred a litter of five dogs and three bitches by Mepunga Blazer out of eight-race winner Cash Storm who was trained by Hinrichsen.
Malcolm Keenan of Tarpeena has done pretty well since taking over the training of his littermates My Madonna and Master Shameem. Mind you, it was only by necessity that he eventually became a greyhound trainer.
“By My Redeemer out of Raz’s Girl, I’d purchased them as pups but later, after their trainers had wanted to move them on, to be honest I had struggled to find anyone to take them,” Keenan said.
“So in the end, in what was an interesting experience, I took out an owner-trainer licence back in November last year and set about training My Madonna. She’s now won four races since being in the kennels.”
In March, Master Shameem joined his sister at Tarpeena. And at his eighth start last Sunday for his new trainer – and placed at his past two runs over 512 metres – Keenan must have thought that if he was ever going to win over a bit more ground then today was the day.
Jumping from box one in the Williams Crane Hire Stake – the first heat of a grade six series – Master Shameem gave nothing else a chance when leading all the way before running out a five length winner over On The Northerns in 29.82 seconds.
“Gee, that was exciting,” said Keenan. “That was his first win since I’d been training him and his first win over anything further than 400 metres.”
Lektra Ringo, now in the Moorak kennels of Jason Newman, was always on the pace in the second heat, the Todd’s Photographics Stake, before finishing strongly for a 2¼ length win over Four Longnecks in 30.22 seconds.