Mount Gambier Week in Review
Fast Forward pair keeps it in the family
It was a case of keeping it in the family when litter sisters Kiwi To Burn and Princess To Burn were the quickest Fast Forward 512 metre qualifiers at last Thursday’s Tara Raceway time-graded meeting.
And just to make it a real family affair, the pair – by Fernando Bale out of the unraced Princess Kiwi –is owned by Hamilton-based Lorraine Goodwin who also trains Kiwi To Burn while son Kyle is in charge of Princess To Burn.
They drew the one and the eight in the second of the two heats and matched motors for much of the race. Princess To Burn, having her first run over 512 metres, found the front down the back but on the line her sister had a half a length to spare in a time of 30.14 seconds.
Kiwi To Burn will be attempting to win two successive monthly Fast Forward finals after she defeated Sarah Louise in the May series. Owned and trained at North Bendigo by Aaron Blake, Sarah Louise has also made it through to this month’s final.
Kongorong part-owner and trainer John Little has litter brothers Bungaloo Bruiser and Cricket Tragic through to the $1740 Fast Forward final which comprises the eight fastest from the two heats, irrespective of finishing positions.
By On Fire out of Springvale Alysa, Bungaloo Bruiser was always on the pace in the first heat before holding on to defeat Popcorn Miss by half a length in 30.44 seconds. And Cricket Tragic qualified as sixth fastest when running fourth to Kiwi To Burn in 30.54 seconds.
White Hills trainer Mary Blake, who prepares Black Jester for her son Aaron, had the last laugh when the son of Aston Dee Bee and 11-race winner Lady Pandora found winning form again at Tara Raceway in the Gambier Vets Stake (600 m).
Still sporting that single blinker, Black Jester, a littermate to Sarah Louise, had been chasing his first win since January when he had been successful over 715 metres at Sandown Park.
Handled last Thursday by another of the Blake brothers in Khris, he was quickly away from box one, leading all the way and holding out David Peckham’s Warringah Bale to eventually win by a half-length in 35.25 seconds.
Bred by Joe Borg of Maryborough, Black Jester is also a litter brother to Black Viper, a winner of his past three starts at Sale and Warragul and trained for Allendale East-based Peckham by Matt Clark of Briagolong.
In the race following Black Jester was Choji Akimichi, having only his second race start for the Blakes in the Klaassens Contractors Maiden Stake (305 m).
Named after the sizeable Naruto character, the 39 kilogram black dog, whelped in September 2022, is by Feral Franky out of Lady Pandora’s second litter.
Choji Akimichi finished fourth behind Peckham’s first starter Sophie’s Beast in 18.03 seconds with Khris Blake suggesting the “big one” was a definite improver.
Edenhope trainer Cap Abbott of Cadillac Kennels brought up a running double when Argyle Kinloch was successful in the Icon Signs TG1-4W Stake (400 m) and Hot Cadillac in the Trackside Pet Meats Pick 6 TG5+W Stake (400 m).
Picked up by Abbott at the end of last year, Argyle Kinloch, a daughter of Kinloch Brae and Zita, brought up her second win at Tara Raceway in emphatic style when leading all the way and defeating Survive The Fury by 4¼ lengths in a swift 22.99 seconds.
Then at Mount Gambier’s Sunday meeting at Tara Raceway the Abbott owned and trained Mister Cadillac defeated a smart field in the Williams Crane Hire Mixed Stake (400 m).
By Magical Bale out of Koa Lass, Mister Cadillac chased Mr. Anderson to the home turn where he took up the running before going away to 1¾ length win over the early leader in 22.94 seconds.
Mister Cadillac went into the meeting holding a one point lead over Wild Star in the Mount Gambier Greyhound of the Year award. But after the running of the Metal Worx Mixed Stake (512 m), Wild Star led the way by three points.
However, following Mister Cadillac’s win later in the day the pair now shares the GOTY lead with 29 points each.
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Grandpa still has plenty of spring in his step
Long-time Victorian trainer Mick Bowerman of Raglan still remembers the last time he was at Tara Raceway to race a couple of greyhounds.
“Yes, it was back in February 2020 when I came over with Golden Charm and Kentucky Sun who book-ended the meeting. Actually, they gave me my first double in an involvement in the sport that had kicked off in 1971,” he said.
"Initially the involvement had been spasmodic but since 2012 when I retired I’ve been regularly involved. And it was in more recent times through Golden Charm that I’ve been kept pretty busy.”
By Dyna Double One out of Moonshine Whippy, giveaway greyhound Golden Charm’s first win came at start number 22 when she won over 512 metres in a tidy time of 29.86 seconds at the Mount Gambier track.
A bad box dog, the red fawn bitch won only one more race, several months later at Ballarat over 545 metres. But Bowerman had been keen to breed with Golden Charm and in May 2021 she had been mated with high profile sire Bernardo. In July, she whelped six dogs and two bitches.
“The litter then kept me away from the racing scene while I waited for them to grow up and hopefully reach the track,” he said. “Anyway, so far six of the litter have won.”
Recently, Bowerman had two of the litter – Mighty Monarch and Grandpa – engaged at a Tara Raceway Sunday meeting. The pair had won three races and five races respectively.
Mighty Monarch, a winner of his past two starts in Tier 3 company at Ballarat, ran fourth behind Chester Deeds after finding himself in a pretty tough Exchange Printers grade six 400 metres which was won in a quick 22.91 seconds.
But Bowerman’s trip turned out to be worthwhile when Grandpa led all the way from box four in the Metal Worx Stake (400 m). Raced in partnership with the trainer’s son Adam, the red fawn dog led all the way when defeating My Boy Josh by 2½ lengths in a smart 23.10 seconds.
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Price banking on another Anniversary Cup
Leading local trainer, Tracie Price of Compton, will be hoping his well-performed greyhound Wild Banker can add to his already impressive record this year when he takes on next month’s Exchange Printers Anniversary Cup (512 metres) at Tara Raceway.
Raced by Tony Longe, the son of Need My Moneynow and Wild Marilyn won the $10,000 Summer Classic (512 m) at Tara Raceway in January and the Murray Bridge Straight Track Cup (350 m) in May.
And at Murray Bridge’s June 18 meeting, Wild Banker was once again successful up the straight prior to returning to Mount Gambier last Sunday for the Da’Leni Meats Mixed Stake (512 m).
Away well from box one and chasing his 10th win this year, the black dog went straight to the front and opened up a handy break over kennelmate Honey Rocks before running out a 1¼ length winner in a best of day 29.72 seconds.
The Mount Gambier Anniversary Cup was first run out at Glenburnie in 1985 when won by Hazel Lane’s Kenzel Lad. And the first Anniversary Cup run at the Lake Terrace East venue was won by the Col Sims trained Becker McLaren in 1997 in a time of 30.28 seconds.
Price boasts an impressive record in the cup. In 2020 he was successful with Spring Cuervo in 29.77 seconds. He then followed up in successive years with Tandiki (29.75 seconds) and Giant’s Flash who equalled his own track record when winning in 29.19 seconds.
Price said, all things going to plan, he was looking at returning to Murray Bridge in early August for the SA National Straight Track Championship over 350 metres.
“Heats will be run on August 6 with the $14,000 final a week later,” he said. “Then the Group 3 National Grand Final, which carries prize money of $44,875, will be run at Murray Bridge on Saturday, August 24.”
Racing kicked off on Sunday with reserve runner Aston Mai Tai gaining a start and impressing with an all the way win over 305 metres in the Winning Post Supplies Maiden Stake in a time of 17.59 seconds.
By Fernando Bale out of Aston Mirage, the pint-sized brindle bitch is trained at Winslow by Jon Malone for Ray Borda.
Aston Mai Tai had previously been unplaced on three occasions at Warrnambool but according to Dustin Drew, who was standing in for Malone, her size certainly doesn’t do her too many favours.
“Given that she’s flat out tipping the scales at 23 kilograms she does tend to find a bit of trouble in her races. But as she showed today when winning by 4¾ lengths, she can run a bit with a clear go.
“She’s been with us right through. We also trained Aston Mirage who won 13 races and $31,000 in prize money. And her litter sister Aston Silk won 16 races and more than $100,000 in prize money.”
As Malcolm Keenan of Tarpeena tells it, it was only by necessity that he ever became a greyhound trainer – after the trainers of his two dogs were looking to move them on and he couldn’t find anyone else.
As it turned out, the pair collectively won a further 13 races at Mount Gambier and Murray Bridge while being trained by Keenan who has now been hands-on since November 2022.
With both now retired, he had recently been looking for another greyhound to train. And who better to contact than Toolong-based Phil Lenehan who seems to make a habit of cluttering up the local greyhound club’s notice board with advertisements for greyhounds to sell or give away?
“I made contact with Phil and sure enough he had a white and black bitch by Fernando Bale out of Lektra Perry named Lektra Remi that he reckoned would suit my needs. ‘If you want her, you can have her’,” he said.
“She had won her maiden over at Warrnambool so it sounded like a good deal to me. Lektra Remi continued to race for Phil while I sorted my kennel situation out. And she actually won another race for him prior to me picking her up.”
Keenan didn’t waste any time getting Lektra Remi up to Murray Bridge for the first two Tuesday straight track meetings of June. And she duly won on both days – stepping up to 350 metres on the second occasion in order to take advantage of two grade six races.
And last Sunday he stepped up Lektra Remi to 512 metres in a bid to pinch another grade six event. Away well from box four in the Cadillac Racing Stake, she quickly found the front and was never headed when defeating Compton Wink by 2¼ lengths in 29.99 seconds.
“Finally, a good box dog,” said Keenan, a smile from ear to ear.
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Club throws its support behind local family in need
The Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club and the Tara Tipsters threw their support behind last Sunday’s Dexter O’Dine Grade 6 final over 400 metres at Tara Raceway.
And while there are grander races conducted at the local track throughout the year, this event was of particular significance for 15-year-old Dexter O’dine’s parents and family members who were on track for Sunday’s meeting.
The family is facing months of waiting in the hope that Dexter, of Mount Gambier, but currently in Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital, will be able to undergo an Australian first – a double transplant of a kidney and heart in a child.
Such an operation would require months in intensive care after surgery. Dexter would then face a long stay in Melbourne as an outpatient.
His mother, Biance, has spent the past eight months in Victoria with her son in the Royal Children’s Hospital. Fair enough, there had been tremendous support but there were always bills back home.
Sunday’s race was actually won by the reserve runner Loads Of Money, who answers to the name of Boof – now a winner of three races and part-owned in Mount Gambier by one-dog trainer David Lewis who is also a member of the Tara Tipsters.
As things turned out, there had been a bit of luck involved in the win given that Loads Of Money had also drawn box one in another grade six event over 400 metres. Most certainly that would have been the race of choice but two scratchings in the final put paid to that.
Given that the black dog is something of a rail crasher, he got lucky when drawing box two (it could have been eight) in Dexter’s race. And he led all the way when defeating the John Little trained Cricket Tragic by 1½ lengths in 23.10 seconds.
Handling the winner was Coonawarra-based Pat Sharam whose association with Lewis goes back to the Glenburnie days of greyhound racing when she and her now-husband Stuey were more often than not on hand to assist with his runners.
Purchased as a three-month-old pup by Lewis and his son Tim, Loads Of Money is by US sire Need My Moneynow out of Saint West, a daughter of Barcia Bale and US-bred UCME Typhoon – the dam of million dollar stayer Fanta Bale.
Following previous litters by High Earner and Konomi, her third comprises five dogs and five bitches. All have won races with the most successful so far being Groovebird, a winner of seven races and $40,000 in prize money.
It was a good day for Need My Moneynow who not only sired Loads Of Money but also the Tracie Price trained winning littermates Wilder and Wild Star (out of Wild Marilyn).
And after the running of the Dexter O’dine Grade 6 final, the O’dine family joined Boof and members of the local greyhound racing fraternity at a presentation where they gratefully received a donation from the Tara Tipsters.
Meanwhile, in the previous race, the Todd’s Photographics Stake (400 m), another of the Tara Tipsters in Scott Blacksell was successful with Mocambora Izza, trained for him at Allendale East by David Peckham.
Chasing her first win since November 12 when successful over 400 metres at Tara Raceway, the black bitch showed she had shrugged off her seasonal woes with a dashing front running display when defeating Cadillac Ragtop by a half-length in 23.16 seconds.
By My Redeemer out of 12-race winner Raz’s Girl, the litter was bred by Peckham who had also trained the dam. Blacksell purchased Mocambora Izza as a pup and reared her at his Cape Bridgewater property.
Peckham and Blacksell are now seriously considering mating the rising four-year-old, a 17-race winner, with successful sire Hooked On Scotch.
Blacksell missed the win on Sunday, opting to “do the right thing” and catch up with his 83-year-old mother. However, he did manage to watch the race via his phone – much to the bewilderment of his mother.
“You know, looking at your phone, I can’t really understand how you can be so involved with greyhounds for so little return. Look, the phone’s showing W$23 so even if your dog wins you’re only going to receive a $23 first prize.”
Blacksell then had to go to great lengths to explain to his mother that the $23 showing was the winning dividend for a $1 bet and that the prize money for the race was considerably more!
And well done to Sharon Bradley, the other half of the Phil Lenehan operation at Toolong, on training her first double with Lektra Damian and Lektra Lyanna.
Lektra Damian, a son of Feral Franky and Lektra Rainbow, was having his first start in the Williams Crane Hire Stake (400 m) when defeating Ernie Deeds by 2¼ lengths in 23.37 seconds.
Then Lektra Lyanna (Fernando Bale x Lektra Perry) carved out a tidy 29.85 seconds and defeated Our Damiro by 4¾ lengths in the Commercial Hotel Stake.