Mount Gambier Week In Review
It’s a long road that has no turning
Last Thursday was a long day for Millicent trainer Dave Green who undertook the testing solo journey to Adelaide and back to race giveaway greyhound Tigger’s Run in a mixed stake over 595 metres at Angle Park.
A $40 chance, the son of Cosmic Rumble and Mossy Girl had run second over 530 metres at the city track earlier in the month. But there was no joy last week when he ran a 6¼ length fifth in the five-dog field.
And it was after 10 p.m. by the time Green headed back to Millicent with his brindle dog.
“It’s always a long drive home when things don’t go to plan on the track,” he said. “But I managed to survive the ordeal by taking a power nap along the way.”
However, it was a different story at Tara Raceway’s meeting last Sunday when Tigger’s Run lined up from box eight in the Greg Martlew Autos Mixed Stake (600 m).
Only fairly away, Tigger’s Run settled in third place down the back straight behind a couple of handy middle-distance chasers in the odds-on favourite Aston Malle and Skye Made Me.
In the run home, though, he finished powerfully when defeating Skye Made Me by a neck in his best winning time of 35.11 seconds. This was his fourth win for part-owners Green and Jarrad Williams and his first since the end of October.
Speaking after the win, Green said he was now looking at the forthcoming Tankman 600, a middle-distance race that has been one of the supporting events on Mount Gambier Cup final day for a number of years.
Meanwhile, Nullawarre couple Trevor and Elizabeth Steel are glad they listened to well-known Koroit greyhound man Peter Byrne when he suggested they come over and have a look at Mount Gambier’s Tara Raceway.
“And we’re certainly glad we took heed of his advice because we really love the track,” Trevor Steel said. “In fact, I’ve now signed up as a club member as have Nullawarre-based Ashley and Joy McDowall whose greyhound Boggy Dozer I also brought over today.”
It’s now close to 30 years ago that Steel purchased his first greyhound for $300 – a pup by Major Fleet out of Sandown Belle who later raced as Stilson.
“He won 20 races, his final win coming at his 121st start which just happened to be his last race. Stilson was trained by John Drennan who in 1998 landed the Mount Gambier Cup quinella after Manawartoo defeated Stilson,” Steel said.
“Another successful greyhound we were associated with was Foxzami Muzza, a son of Dyna Double One and Mulwee Dream who won eight races in 2018-2019 at The Meadows and Warrnambool before being transferred to NSW.”
Elizabeth’s first win at Tara Raceway was on October 1 when Hey Tootle defeated Lynette Ann by 6½ lengths over 400 metres in 23.37 seconds. And Trevor opened his winning account on February 4 with Belair Ric, successful by 4¼ lengths over Bungaloo Fire in 23.54 seconds.
Belair Ric, according to his trainer, has really taken to Tara Raceway. He is one of eight greyhounds in the Steel kennels and was back at Tara Raceway last Sunday to contest the Hyland Fox Stake (400 m).
Always on the pace from box eight, the black dog finished off the race well for his second win when defeating Barra Banjo by 1½ lengths in 23.53 seconds.
By Flying Ricciardo out of Mepunga Bella, Belair Ric is owned by Geoff Wickham who also bred the litter. He is the first dog Steel has trained for his neighbour.
And the Tara Tipsters Sunset Community Kitchen Chase for Charity wrapped up this week with Kevin Patzel taking the lead after round two and then never headed.
The highest score recorded for the series which commenced on January 4 and ends on February 29 was Craig Grubb’s 41 points on January 21.
The next Tara Tipsters Cup will be run over 512 metres for grade six greyhounds at Tara Raceway on Sunday, March 10. Representatives from the Sunset Community Kitchen will be on course to receive a Tara Tipsters donation.
On Thursday, March 7 the Chase for Charity will resume with the Tara Tipsters contributing to Foodbank. This series will conclude on Thursday, May 2.
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No rough start for this litter
Off to a flying start at Tara Raceway has been the September 2022 My Redeemer x Vossy litter, bred at OB Flat by Noel Perry, president of the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club.
A daughter of Dyna Double One and Miss Freelove, Vossy raced on 45 occasions for 13 wins at Mount Gambier, Angle Park and Gawler.
All told, her first litter comprised two dogs and five bitches with three – Rough Girl Mel, Rough Girl Slim and Rough Boy Russ – reared, owned and trained by Perry. The remaining four are still to be named.
On debut at a recent Sunday Tara Raceway meeting had been Rough Boy Russ and Rough Girl Slim – their owner-trainer full of expectation given the lead-up to their respective races.
“The breaking-in report had been good,” Perry said. “And their trials at Tara Raceway leading up to their first starts had also been promising.”
Rough Boy Russ was the first of the litter to race when drawing box eight in the Rocks Tavern Maiden Stake (305 metres). And after displaying plenty of early pace he had no luck in the run home when finishing third.
But in the following race, the Commercial Hotel Maiden Stake (305 m), Rough Girl Slim led all the way from box one, holding out Mooball to win by a half head in 17.94 seconds.
Then at Tara Raceway last Thursday it was Rough Girl Mel who opened her winning account when defeating Cricket Tragic by a half-length in the Ary Sports Bar & Bistro Maiden Stake (305 m) in 18.23 seconds.
Meanwhile, at that same recent Sunday meeting, Down South Queen and Sam’s Girl – both owned by Ecklin South shearing contractor Sam Negrello – ran the quinella in the Greg Martlew Autos Maiden Stake (400 m).
Having only her second start, the pint-sized 22.4 kilogram Down South Queen, a daughter of Tommy Shelby and Little Zoe, led all the way and had two lengths to spare on the line in a time of 23.73 seconds.
The winner is trained at Mortlake by Peter Crawley whose association with Negrello goes back to a time when he was training Little Zoe.
“It was back in 2021 that I received a call out of the blue from Sam to see if I would be interested in training Little Zoe who had recently won a maiden race at Warrnambool.
“I said I’d give her a go but she didn’t win another race so it was pleasing to be able to at least win with one of her pups,” he said.
Sam’s Girl, a daughter of Fernando Bale and Sixteen Pegs, is trained by Peter Fulton, also of Ecklin South.
And Allendale East trainer David Peckham, following a win last Thursday with Captain Red Tin in the Carlin & Gazzard TG5+W Stake (400 m), was successful the next day at Murray Bridge with Federal Flash who defeated the Matt Clark trained Sunnyside Zeus over 455 metres in 25.97 seconds.
Clark, who made the waterbag trip across to Murray Bridge from Briagolong – 180 kilometres east of Melbourne – also won with the Peckham-owned Black Viper, a recent Traralgon Cup finalist, over 455 metres in 25.84 seconds.
“I’m now looking at the Murray Bridge and Mount Gambier Cups with Federal Flash,” Peckham said. “And while Matt is now keen to tackle the Murray Bridge Cup I don’t think he’s that keen on Mount Gambier’s two-bend track with Black Viper.
“But he is focusing on the Mount Gambier Cup with Sunnyside Zeus, a winner of 16 races and $150,000 in prize money, who he believes would be suited by the track.”
Compton trainer Tracie Price, after wins with Compton Minnie in the Metal Worx TG1-4W Stake (400 m) and Compton Brockie in the Commercial Hotel TG1-4W Stake (400 m) last Thursday at Tara Raceway, followed up at Murray Bridge with Myall Mate and Wild Banker winning on the Friday.
Now he’s preparing to launch an all-out attack on both the Murray Bridge and Mount Gambier Cups.
“At this stage I’m hoping to kick off in the Murray Bridge Cup with Mister Banjo, Wild Star, Wild Banker, Myall Mate, Honey Rocks, Bad Move and Myall Man and then follow up in the Mount Gambier Cup,” he said.
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Chuckle Bay has the last laugh
Koroit couple Gerald and Carolyn McKenna – health issues these days restricting their frequency at local greyhound meetings – certainly had something to chuckle about last Thursday at Tara Raceway.
Lining up for the pair from box six in the Swallow Drive Meats Maiden Stake (305 metres) was Chuckle Bay, a small-sized male greyhound who at start number seven weighed in at 26.3 kilograms.
But size counted for nothing when the fawn dog led all the way for a 1¾ length win over Bungaloo Fire in a handy personal best time 17.92 seconds.
For Gerald McKenna the win was his first as a trainer since March 9, 2023 at Tara Raceway when Crimson Bay, a daughter of Worm Burner and Zipping Melody, had won her maiden in 18.24 seconds.
“Crimson Bay was from Zipping Melody’s second litter – her first failed to produce a winner although I wasn’t going to give up without having a go,” he said.
“The only bitch in that first litter, later to be named Anntonia Bay, received an ordinary breaking-in report and when she returned I put her in a yard until I decided what I was going to do with her.
“Some years prior I had purchased several Engine Alley straws for $200 each. So when Anntonia Bay came in season I decided to use one of the straws. The result was three dogs and one bitch whelped in May 2022 with Chuckle Bay the first to race.”
Engine Alley, a son of the imported Razldazl Billy and Zarbo, won 12 races from 27 starts during 2012 and 2013. Zarbo was successful at seven of her last eight starts over distances ranging from 650 metres to 730 metres.
Meanwhile, Compton Robbie made a welcome return to the winner’s circle for Portland trainer Robert Halliday and his wife Shirley when successful in the Gambier Vets TG5+W Stake (512 m).
Having only his second run this year, the 36 kilogram black dog was chasing his first win since last September when he defeated Nero Valentino, who went on to win the 2023 Mount Gambier Greyhound of the Year award.
A $13 chance in last Thursday’s time-graded event, Compton Robbie found trouble on the first turn after jumping well from box five. But he quickly put himself back in the race down the back straight before finishing strongly and defeating the front-running Two Fifty Three by a half-length.
The winning time of 30.60 seconds was a fair way outside his Tara Raceway personal best of 29.54 seconds run in April last year.
But, according to Halliday, the son of Glen Gallon and 2015 Mount Gambier Cup winner Lots Of Yap had for some time been a work in progress.
“He developed a chronic wrist problem which saw him off the scene for much of the latter part of last year. Hopefully that problem has now been solved.
“And his race time was of little concern to us. We were just happy to see him back in the winner’s circle and appearing to pull up soundly.”
Compton Robbie has now won 12 races for the Hallidays at Mount Gambier after being purchased as a one-start maiden in October 2022.