Mount Gambier Week in Review
Peckham chasing another Christmas Cup
Allendale East trainer David Peckham will be chasing back to back Williams Crane Hire Christmas Cups when Aston Ziebell lines up in Sunday’s 512 metre final at Tara Raceway.
Owned by Ray Borda, the son of Aston Kimetto x Aston Dinnigan has been in Peckham’s kennels for 18 months, during which time he has won 29 races.
Jumping from box seven in last Sunday’s first of two heats, Aston Ziebell virtually led all the way when defeating Mister Banjo by four lengths in 29.50 seconds.
And not only will Peckham be chasing his second consecutive Christmas Cup with Aston Ziebell he will also be looking to improve on his already impressive record in the end of year feature event – first run in December 2011.
He won the inaugural cup with Napoleon Wiz who defeated Going Home in 30.20 seconds before being successful again two years later with Bourne Again who ran down Flaming Gold in 30.41 seconds.
Then, in 2019, the Peckham-trained Squishy Pea defeated Compton trainer Tracie Price’s Adelaide Cup Consolation winner Smart Knocka by two lengths in 29.63 seconds – at the time a race record.
Last year it was Aston Ziebell who led Price’s multiple record breaker Giant’s Flash going out of the first turn and was never headed when defeating the odds-on favourite in a race record 29.34 seconds.
Price will be chasing his fourth Christmas Cup winner after Who’s Doing What was successful in 2014 and Fear The Rascal backed up the following year. Golly Gumdrops then won the cup in 2020.
Representing Price in Sunday’s final will be Mister Banjo, a gallant second to Aston Ziebell, and Whiskey Chaser who finished in fourth spot behind Oh Louise in the second heat which was won in 29.84 seconds.
Coming into the race on the back of four consecutive seconds at Tara Raceway, Oh Louise settled in third spot early before unwinding a powerful run off the back and storming home for a 6¾ length win over Here To Burn.
A winner of 14 races, Oh Louise is a daughter of Barcia Bale and prolific producer Molly Be Nimble. The blue fawn bitch is owned and trained at Meningie by Tim Richards who is no stranger to feature race success at the Mount Gambier track.
And the Richards trained Coorong Cam – Oh Louise’s litter brother – shrugged off an aberration of the previous week when carving out a quick 22.86 seconds in heat two of the Santa Sprint (400 m) and defeating Gladki by 4¼ lengths.
The Kerry Hawker owned and trained Nero Valentino, who turns five years old on Christmas Day, put in a terrific effort in the first heat of the Santa Sprint at what was his 112th race start – 46 of those coming this year.
Away slowly from box one, the son of Fernando Bale and Sweet Barbados never left the rails before finishing strongly for a 1¼ length win over Current Model in 23.11 seconds.
In what has been a remarkable year for the black dog, Nero Valentino has won seven races and recorded 21 second placings and nine thirds – more than enough to clinch the 2023 Mount Gambier Greyhound of the Year award.
Complementing the Christmas Cup heats day were two heats of the Peter Whitehead Memorial Maiden (400 m), first run in 2019 when won by the Price-trained Elle Limes who defeated kennelmate Tandiki.
Price won the memorial again the following year with Sally Limes. Winners since have been Nifty Lenehan’s Smiling Stan and Robert Halliday’s Compton Robbie.
The Peckham-trained Bourne Sid, a son of Superior Panama and Sweet On Me, after finding plenty of trouble early in the first heat at start number five, stormed home from well back for a narrow win over Aston Zeppelin and Yesterday’s Hero in 23.80 seconds.
And in heat two, first starter Princess To Burn led all the way from box four for Hamilton trainer Kyle Goodwin when winning by 2¾ lengths in 23.66 seconds.
By Fernando Bale, the blue bitch is out of the unraced giveaway Princess Kiwi who is now with Goodwin and his mother Lorraine, a Tara Raceway regular.
“We reared Princess To Burn on a one for one basis but eventually ended up with both the pups. The other one hasn’t yet raced,” Kyle Goodwin said.
“Most of the litter has been named but so far only two have raced – Princess To Burn and a dog called Ferness who has had two starts at Goulburn for two wins.”
First treble for Cusack
Mount Cottrell-based Paul Cusack, first involved in greyhound racing in 1987, landed his first treble last Thursday when making one of his periodic visits to Mount Gambier for a Tara Raceway time-graded meeting.
Kicking off the owner-trainer’s best-ever day at the track was Quantum’s Dream in the Klaassens Contractors Maiden Stake (305 metres). Following later were Wild And Easy in the Rocks Tavern TG1-4W Stake (512 m) and Life’s Good in the Cadillac Racing TG5+W Stake (400 m).
By Spring Gun out of eight-race winner Main Exit, Quantum’s Dream won at her first start when leading all the way from box seven and defeating perennial placegetter Melody Bay by 6¼ lengths in 17.93 seconds.
Giveaway greyhound Wild And Easy, a daughter of Houdini Boy – a Group 1 winner over 650 metres and 730 metres – was a maiden winner for Cusack at Healesville up the straight over 300 metres last month.
Stepping up to 512 metres for the first time last week, she quickly found the front from box two, defying the opposition to run her down in 30.34 seconds when holding out Survive The Fury to win by a neck.
And Life’s Good – Cusack the sixth trainer for the son of My Redeemer x Velocity Breeze – led all the way for a one length win over Bungaloo Josh in 23.46 seconds.
Speaking after his successful day, Cusack said his initial involvement in greyhound racing had amounted to eight years and resulted in moderate success.
“I was then out of the sport for something like 18 years before returning again in 2013. Since then my best dog has been the city-winning Go Quantum, the son of Fernando Bale and As It Goes actually ending his racing career at Mount Gambier with a couple of wins.”
Accompanying Cusack last Thursday was his partner Donna Beasley, also involved with the greyhounds and having trained a treble of her own on October 29, 2021.
“I still remember the day well when Far Out Frankie, Show Me Heaven and Fernando Bubbles brought up a treble at Healesville,” she said.
Meanwhile, Yadillah Lad was the Fast Forward standout when winning the third and final 400 metre 1-4 wins heat by 11¾ lengths over Compton Brockie in 23.06 seconds.
Bred, owned and trained by Robert Halliday of Portland, Yadillah Lad is by Bernardo out of 16-race winner Spirited Bingle – a daughter of the 2013 SA Oaks winner Kokoda Spirit.
Yadillah Lad’s dominant all the way win from box eight resulted in the fawn dog bringing up his fourth win in a personal best time at the track and ensured him of top billing in this week’s Category 2 prize money Fast Forward final.
With the fastest eight qualifiers from the three heats through to the final – irrespective of finishing positions – it was also a case of minor placegetters Compton Brockie and Red Echidna qualifying for local trainer Tracie Price.
The remaining five finalists came by way of the second heat which was won by Hop To who continued Koroit owner-trainer Lindsay Brookes’ good run at Tara Raceway this year when leading all the way from box one in a time of 23.32 seconds.
Also bred by Brookes, Hop To is a daughter of Tommy Brislane, winner of a Group 1 Dapto Megastar and now standing at stud in Mullingar, Ireland.
Brookes also has Hop To’s litter brother More Cash into the final after he finished fourth in the second heat. Making up the final are Cadillac Queen, Gypsy Tony and Just Paddy.
And Gone Away, owned and trained at Allendale East by David Peckham, finally broke through for his first Tara Raceway win following success at Shepparton, Warragul and Angle Park.
Gone Away is by Fernando Bale out of the Tom and Ann Sinnott-bred Rock Away, a daughter of Premier Fantasy and Up And Away, a winner of $185,000 in prize money.
Having his ninth start at the Mount Gambier track, the black dog led all the way in the Progreyhoundtips.com Stake (305 m) and broke a frustrating run of outs when defeating Myola Thunder by five lengths in 17.58 seconds.
The Summer Classic: relatively rich in short-term history
Glencoe-based trainer Dean Fennell, racing greyhounds at the Lake Terrace East-located Tara Raceway since its opening in January 1997, is confident Saint Tommy can measure up in next month’s Carlin & Gazzard $10,000 Summer Classic (512 metres).
Second only to the Group 3 Mount Gambier Cup in monetary value, the 2024 Summer Classic is a non-penalty event for all greyhounds whelped on or after January 1, 2022.
By Tommy Shelby, a winner of 31 races and more than one million dollars in prize money, out of Mepunga Prue, Saint Tommy is owned at Koroit by Peter Byrne who also bred the black and white dog.
Fennell took over the training of Saint Tommy in October. He has now won two races over 400 metres at Tara Raceway with the trainer yet to step him out over 512 metres.
“I was pretty happy with his most recent win when he clocked 23.12 seconds,” Fennell said. “From a Summer Classic age point of view he’s certainly well placed given he was whelped in January 2022. And I certainly don’t believe the 512 metres will be an issue.”
Interestingly, it was back in 2019 that Fennell was involved with the Summer Classic winner Banjo Bad Boy. He took over the training after the son of Banjo Boy x Banjo Bewdy had won his heat for Compton trainer Tracie Price.
A $21 chance, Banjo Bad Boy won the final in 30.13 seconds from Rose Ali and the 18-month-old Galactic Athena who generated tremendous interest when winning a heat at only her second race start in a time of 29.61 seconds.
First run in 2015, the Summer Classic is a series relatively rich in short-term history, helped in no small way by the Robert Chuck and Steve Bartholomew owned and trained Galactic Athena who only a month later won the Mount Gambier Cup.
The inaugural Summer Classic was won by Cryer’s Ricky, owned and trained by Margaret and Tom Cryer of Apsley. Cryer’s Ricky, who had gained a run in the final as a reserve, later contested the Mount Gambier Cup final won by Lots Of Yap.
Cryer’s Ricky was from the first of two successive Spring Gun x Cryer’s Midget litters that also included Cryer’s Fred, Cryer’s Jack, Cryer’s Plugger and Cryer’s Bob. These litters made a significant contribution to local racing between 2015 and 2019.
The following year, Menzel Boys, raced by Langhorne Creek owner-trainer Tony Hinrichsen – still a Tara Raceway regular – defeated Cairnlea Lewis in 30.01 seconds.
Menzel Boys, a son of Dyna Tron and Fighting Fury, the following month ran third in the Mount Gambier Cup to Mojito Mayhem – the greyhound scratched the previous year from the Summer Classic when eventual winner Cryer’s Ricky gained a start.
In 2017, the Robert Halliday trained Hutch defeated Blitz And Bolt in the classic before reaching the Mount Gambier Cup final won by Fabregal three weeks later.
And the following year Chuck and Bartholomew had combined with Galactic Athena’s older half-brother Galactic Panther (Milldean Panther x Galactic Rumball) to narrowly defeat Dynamite Danger prior to running third behind Xtreme Caution in the cup final.
Other Summer Classic winners have been 2020 Sweet On Me (David Peckham), 2021 Justice For All (Tim Richards), 2022 He’s All Purpose (Tim Richards) and 2023 Honey Rocks (Tracie Price), successful in the inaugural $10,000 classic.