Goodbye to the '515' at Angle Park
With the Angle Park 515m journey to be 'retired' as part of the track redevelopment works and be replaced with a new 530m start over the next few months, we thought it would be a great chance to look back at some of the great wins over the '515' here at Headquarters.
For many years the 515m trip has hosted the State's biggest races including South Australia's premier event, the Group 1 Adelaide Cup as well as a number of Group 3 finals - Howard Ashton, SA Oaks and Derby and Brian Johnstone - plus many other great features. These features have seen some of the country’s best greyhounds travel to Angle Park to compete, creating some of the most memorable wins and moments in the sport in the process.
The most famous performance over the trip is Brett Lee’s track record of 28.88 seconds recorded in the 2001 Adelaide Cup which looks set to be etched forever into the history books – barring any miracle runs in the last meeting tomorrow night! The legendary black dog actually holds the top 2 times recorded over the 515m as he set a time of 29.04 seconds in his first look at the track 2 weeks prior to his Cup performance. Another to hold two times in the top 10 of all time is Betty’s Angel who recorded 29.12s and 29.17 back in 2007 while Big Daddy Cool has the 4th fastest time stopping the clock at a blistering 29.14s in 2004.
Brett Lee's track record run in the 2001 Adelaide Cup.
Local cult hero Worm Burner lit up the Angle Park loam for much of 2016 where he also set the equal 5th best time in his remarkable 2016 win in the Group 1 National Sprint. Not normally a noted beginner, the brindle champion brought the house down when he jumped to the lead and from there was only competing against the clock which he stopped at an amazing 29.17 seconds delighting the parochial hometown crowd.
Worm Burner's fantastic win in the 2016 Group 1 National Final.
Greyhound Racing South Australia’s Shaun Mathieson recalls ‘it’s the wins like Worm Burner in the Nationals, Ernie Bung Arrow or a Fernando Bale in the Adelaide Cup that stand out for me, where the crowd are really invested in those heroes at the time, and it’s those moments that have given so much nostalgia to the 515m trip.’
Racecaller Tim Edwards has called some of the best greyhounds over recent years as they have gone around the 515m but recalls with fondness the performance of Jason Thompson’s Hooked On Scotch. The star Victorian holds the 6th fastest time with 29.19s which he clocked in his 2019 State of Origin Match Race win but it was his 29.44 second win in the 2019 Adelaide Cup two weeks later that is remembered as one of the all-time great wins over the trip.
‘Hooked On Scotch’s win was something you just don’t see every day’ Tim says of the famous victory. ‘He was chasing two of the fastest dogs in Australia in Sennachie and Whiskey Riot, and to watch what he did in the home straight was spine tingling. Something I will remember forever.’
Hooked On Scotch's famous 2019 Adelaide Cup win.
Looking back on these great 515m performances, it’s hard not to feel a small sense of sadness and a heap of nostalgia, but there’s also plenty of excitement, as the new 530m distance opens up a whole new page in the record book.
Fastest times recorded at Angle Park – 515m
Brett Lee 28.88 in 2001
Brett Lee 29.04 in 2001
Betty’s Angel 29.12 in 2007
Big Daddy Cool 29.14 in 2004
Betty’s Angel 29.17 in 2007
Worm Burner 29.17 in 2016
Hooked On Scotch 29.19 in 2019
Fernando Bale 29.20 in 2015
Eduardo 29.20 in 2015
Sennachie 29.21 in 2019
Mepunga Blazer 29.25 in 2017
Worm Burner 29.25 in 2016
Classic Capri 29.26 in 2001(second behind Brett Lee)
Rulebook 29.26 in 2014
Shadow Mist 29.29 in 2020
Bothing 29.30 in 2006
Dyna Double One 29.30 in 2015
Big Time Max 29.30 in 2007
Shima Breeze 29.30 in 2019
Querencia 29.30 in 2019