Lektra Rhino wins the ‘Chase for Charity’
Lektra Rhino wins the ‘Chase for Charity’
It was by pure chance that Toolong trainer Phil Lenehan’s greyhounds Lektra Rhino and Lektra Tinsel were drawn in Sunday’s Mia Powell Tara Tipsters Cup race at Tara Raceway.
This was the race run prior to a presentation to Sarah Hutchesson-Webb and Jake Powell, the parents of little Mia who earlier this year was diagnosed with Tay-Sachs disease, a rare genetic disorder that affects the nervous system and has no cure.
And, as it turned out, the Lenehan pair fought out the finish of the 512 metre event – Lektra Rhino finishing strongly in the home straight to defeat the front-running Lektra Tinsel by 2¼ lengths with a further 2½ lengths back to Peter Crawley’s Velocity Seize in 29.89 seconds.
By Zambora Brockie out of Lektra Viki – a 12-race winner with three of those wins at Mount Gambier – Lektra Rhino has now won 15 races for prize money of just under $70,000.
The litter also includes Lektra Gal, joint record holder at 17.28 seconds over 305 metres at Tara Raceway and Lektra Heckler, a winner of 22 races and more than $115,000 in prize money for Lenehan and Pearcedale trainer Jake Loverso.
A Group 1 and Group 2 finalist at The Meadows and Albion Park, Lektra Rhino has won at Warrnambool, Horsham, Bendigo, Sandown Park, The Meadows, Ballarat and Albion Park. Sunday’s win was his first from six starts at Tara Raceway.
However, it had been a while since the black dog had last won – back in March, actually, over 595 metres at Sandown Park. And his Mount Gambier win came at his first run back in more than four months.
“He had spent a fair amount of time this year being trained in Melbourne,” Lenehan said. “He came back in August and after a bit of a break he seemed to be going alright so I decided to give him a run over here.
“We’ve recently had 15 come back from breaking-in which means there are now 20-odd greyhounds in work. It’s more than likely we’ll be getting over to Mount Gambier more regularly in the not too distant future.”
He was accompanied on Sunday by his young son Wyatt and partner of 18 months Sharon Bradley who was the first to admit that prior to meeting up with Lenehan she had no idea what greyhound racing was all about.
“But I recently received my owner-trainer licence so now I’m waiting for Phil to allocate me some dogs to train.”
Lenehan threw his full support behind the Mia Powell Tara Tipsters Cup, acknowledging the charitable efforts of the Mount Gambier Greyhound Club Tara Tipsters who have now donated in the vicinity of $20,000 to local charities.
He also extended his best to the family as they continue to make little Mia’s life as comfortable as possible.
Meanwhile, in the race prior, the Hyland Fox Stake (400 m), another greyhound returning to the winner’s list after a long break was Paw Some Sloane, owned at Moorak by Jason Newman and Melissa Freitag and trained by the latter.
A daughter of Bernardo and Dusseldorp, Paw Some Sloane led all the way from box six and eventually ran out a 5½ length winner over Judiciary in a personal best time of 22.96 seconds.
The blue fawn bitch was having her first run since April 11 at Murray Bridge where she had brought up her third successive win. However, a mishap in the catching pen saw her damage an Achilles tendon.
“It wasn’t all that long ago that it looked as though she wouldn’t race again. But several weeks later things started to turn around and from then on we were pretty confident that we would be able to get her back on the track,” Newman said.
“It’s certainly a long road that has no turning and I don’t mind telling you how relieved I was when she came out running and then proceeded to break 23 seconds.”
And Paw Some Sloane’s win was the start of big day for the December 2020 litter.
Come race 11, the Trackside Pet Meats Pick 6 Open Stake (400 m), and litter sister Paw Some Storm brought up her fourth successive win at the track and distance. She led all the way and defeated the Freitag-trained Nitrogen Outlaw by 4¾ lengths in a quick 22.85 seconds.
Paw Some Storm is trained at Millicent by Dave Green who races the blue bitch in partnership with Newman.
Then at Bendigo on the Sunday night, litter brother Mr Anderson, a $13 chance in a heat of the Bendigo Cup (425 m) scored a big win for Avalon trainer Rebecca Gibbons and owners Newman and Derek Anderson.
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Zipping Neutron delivers for local charity
As far as the locally-based Tara Tipsters “Chasing for Charity” initiative was concerned there had been a bit riding on last Friday night’s Premier’s Cup (730 m), one of the feature races on Adelaide Cup night at Angle Park.
Adelaide trainer Tim Aloisi, one of the Tara Tipsters, was the winner of the recently-completed tipping series which had supported 22-month-old Mia Powell, diagnosed with Tay-Sachs disease, a rare genetic disorder that affects the nervous system and has no cure.
Aloisi had also pledged $1 for every point he scored in the series. In the end this equated to something like $450.
He also had his outstanding stayer Zipping Neutron engaged in the Premier’s Cup. And he had pledged an extra $1000 to the Mia Powell fund if his greyhound won the $10,000-to-the-winner first prize.
A winner of 14 of his past 16 starts, including a track record 42.73 seconds over 732 metres at Tara Raceway on July 23, his main danger looked to be top Victorian stayer Moraine Suzie whose stake earnings were nearing $300,000.
In the end, though, Zipping Neutron led all the way, eventually defeating Moraine Suzie, owned at Koroit by Peter Byrne, by three-quarters of a length in 42.87 seconds.
Aloisi was as good as his word. It took only 1½ hours for the $1000 to be added to the fund.
“I certainly wish the family and the little girl all the best,” he said.
Toolong owner-trainer Phil Lenehan’s Lektra Rhino won the Mia Powell Tara Tipsters Cup (512 m) which preceded a presentation to Mia’s parents, Sarah Hutchesson-Webb and Jake Powell.
And Lenehan also extended his best to the family as they continue to make little Mia’s life as comfortable as possible.
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Niele hoping for change of luck in Fast Forward final
It was back on June 1 that Bridgewater Bob, owned and trained at Berringa by Michael Niele, was successful in a heat of the monthly 400 metre time-graded Fast Forward series for greyhounds that had won between one and four races.
And given the final for this format is made up of the fastest eight runners from the heats, irrespective of their finishing positions, Bridgewater Bob was ensured a final spot – and a crack at the added prize money – when running a best of day time of 23.28 seconds.
On that occasion he defeated the speedy Gypsy Chick by three-quarters of a length but come the final a week later he enjoyed little luck in running and had to settle for fourth placing behind the Chick.
Bred at Portland by Robert Halliday, Bridgewater Bob is by Bernardo out of Spirited Bingle – a winner of 14 races at Tara Raceway and one at Angle Park in 2018-2019 when trained by Halliday. Spirited Bingle is a daughter of Collision and Kokoda Spirit, who won the 2013 SA Oaks at Angle Park.
Niele was back at Tara Raceway last Thursday for the monthly Fast Forward 400 metre series – Bridgewater Bob lining up from box five in the final heat on the back of some handy form at Ballarat over 390 metres.
Now, it has to be said, the final heat of the Fast Forward series (400 m) is always the toughest. Often it will produce more than its fair share of finalists as was the case last week in the Gambier Vets Fast Forward heat.
Niele’s black dog quickly found the front and was never headed, eventually holding out Sweet Lynette to win by 1¼ lengths in 23.49 seconds – once again the fastest of the four Fast Forward heats.
The winner and runner-up made it through to the final, as did third, fourth and fifth placegetters Cadillac Lloyd, Mjolnir To Burn and Minh Ellie.
This then left first and second in heat two – Cundare North-based Kevin Quinn’s Cosmic Leilani and Cadillac Beast – and from Hamilton, Lorraine Goodwin’s Sins To Burn, winner of heat three, to make up the eight-dog final.
Cosmic Leilani, a giveaway after breaking-in, led all the way in the Williams Crane Hire Fast Forward heat, eventually defeating Cadillac Beast by two lengths in 23.96 seconds.
By Cosmic Rumble out of Daisy Lara, a winner of 26 races in New Zealand, Cosmic Leilani’s last win had been at Tara Raceway on June 8, the same day that Sins To Burn had also last won.
In the Todd’s Photographics Fast Forward heat, Sins To Burn chased Kaniva Cadillac until to the home turn where the son of Aston Kimetto and Slew Left powered away up the home straight for a 7¼ length win in 23.64 seconds.