Gawler Race Review
There was a great crowd in attendance on Sunday night to witness some competitive racing. Three Heats of the SA Anniversary Cup were run, with the winners, Air Marshall, Zipping Sultan and Spring Burner, plus the fastest placegetters competing in the $10 700 Final to be decided next Sunday night.
Another series of heats was run for Grade 6 greyhounds, which saw five races over the 531m journey, with that Final also to be run on Sunday. Two Wells based trainer, Bec Romyn, provided two of the winners, with Red Light Rico taking out Heat three, finishing with a strong run after being at the tail of the field early in the race.
Bec’s next winner came in the following race, in which her runner, Meet Joe Black, jumped straight to the front from box 2, to easily account for the other runners. With that win, Meet Joe Black made it five wins in a row, after winning the previous four events at Murray Bridge. Prior to these consecutive wins, the black dog had recorded three wins in 22 starts, but has now struck a purple patch for Rec.
Meet Joe Black is owned in Victoria by Joe Amato, a first time owner with Bec. Joe had bred Meet Joe Black and after racing in Victoria, looked to increase his opportunities by racing him in SA. Joe has been thrilled with the success, and often tells Bec to “give the dog a big hug from me”. Bec described Meet Joe Black as the happiest dog in her kennel, and is quite happy to have a cuddle with the dog. Bec put down the improvement in his performance to placing him where he can run his best, and he also appreciates the inside boxes.
Bec made the move from Victoria last year, and has settled in well to greyhound racing in SA. While the prizemoney on offer here doesn’t match the level in Victoria, she appreciates the opportunities available to race here and the six dog fields. Bec finds the prizemoney bonuses at the end of the month very handy too. With some 35 racing dogs in her kennel, and some pups that she has bred as well, Bec has her hands full, and so is very grateful for the help she receives from her daughter Ashlee and young son Jakob. Despite having a large workload, Bec is not concerned about travel and has had dogs racing at Mount Gambier, intending to continue that in the future.
The racing schedule at Gawler for this week is Friday afternoon, Saturday morning, Sunday night and Tuesday afternoon. If you are looking to have a meal on a Sunday night, please book with the Club on 8522 2935.
Pic: Ashlee Griffiths and Bec Romyn with Meet Joe Black
Credit: Kurt Donsberg Photography