Mount Gambier Week in Review
10-year Service Award for local steward
Local greyhound racing steward Lindy Thomson was caught unawares at Tara Raceway’s meeting last Sunday when Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club (MGGRC) president Noel Perry presented her with a Greyhound Racing SA Service Award certificate.
The certificate was in recognition of 10 years dedicated service to Greyhound Racing SA and was signed by GRSA Chief Executive Officer Brenton Scott.
“It seems a lifetime ago that I first became involved with the club. Prior to taking on a stewarding role I must have done almost every job there was around the place with the exception of working in the bar,” said Thomson, daughter of MGGRC life member Ralph Patzel.
Thomson also extended her special thanks to her race day co-workers Barry Shepheard, Stan Bright, Connor Bartlett and Craig Childs.
Congratulations Lindy on an award well deserved.
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Forgotten greyhound making up for lost time
With four pups from the December 2021 Orson Allen x Destini Surfer litter, it’s fair to say Langhorne Creek owner-trainer Tony Hinrichsen had been more than hopeful of coming up with a winner or two.
And according to Hinrichsen, who boasts a long involvement in the sport, none of the four had initially even warranted a name.
“Actually, the four had found themselves on the GAP (Greyhounds As Pets) waiting list without even being named to race,” said Hinrichsen.
Or so he thought.
“In due course three of the four were adopted out and with only one left – a fawn bitch – I was pretty happy with the way things had been progressing. Mind you, when she was still at Langhorne Creek some nine months later I started to wonder what was going on.
“So I rang GAP to enquire as to when they would be taking the fawn bitch in order that she could be adopted out.
“It was then that I was politely informed that I had placed only three of the litter into GAP and that the one I was now enquiring about hadn’t even been desexed, let alone placed on the waiting list.
“Somehow I had forgotten to go through the relevant procedures with her when it came to placing her in GAP. So I decided after having waited all this time I may as well give her a try on the track before going down the GAP path which I figured wouldn’t be long, anyway,” Hinrichsen said.
As it turned out, it took the well-named Forgotten Fury only three starts to open her winning account when successful over 395 metres at Murray Bridge back in June. Since then she had won a further four races at Murray Bridge and Gawler prior to last Sunday’s Mount Gambier win.
Lining up from box one in the second-last race, the Cadillac Racing Stake (400 m), and having her first start at the track, Forgotten Fury led all the way for a 2¾ length win over a couple of handy performers in Aston Blend and Mango Cans in 23.33 seconds.
Hinrichsen’s last winner at Tara Raceway had been in June with Bagged Fury. But his involvement with the local track goes back to 2011 when Fighting Fury reached the Mount Gambier Cup final won by Banger Harvey.
And come the last race, Ringer’s Girl finally lived up to Mortlake trainer Peter Franklin’s expectations with a pretty impressive performance in the Greg Martlew Autos Stake (512 m).
Leading all the way from box one, the brindle daughter of Aston Rupee and Two Phones ended up defeating Allinga Amy by 11 lengths in a tidy 30.11 seconds for owners Steve and Vanessa Lenehan of Laharum.
Ringer’s Girl went into the race having won only one race from 16 starts. But Franklin, a multiple track record trainer at Tara Raceway, said he had expected the October 2022 bitch to run well.
“She certainly goes better when drawn close to the rails,” he said. “And with her continuing to improve a little at a time I thought it wouldn’t be long before she showed what she was really capable of.”
And Compton owner-trainer Robert Chuck – minus his “Father Christmas” beard and looking almost unrecognisable – scored a good win with Galactic Nemesis in the Gordon Refrigeration Maiden Stake over 305 metres.
Having only her second start on the back of a first-up second to Indie Or Jill, Galactic Nemesis led all the way from box eight when defeating litter sister Hey You Guys by 4¼ lengths in 17.70 seconds.
By Blue Moon Rising, the pair is out Galactic Athena, winner of the 2019 Mount Gambier Cup when owned by Chuck and trained by Steve Bartholomew who is now training Hey You Guys for his daughter Deb Hicks and her husband Craig.
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No going backwards for Halliday
Long-time Portland trainer Robert Halliday landed his second double this year at Tara Raceway when Wangler and Yadillah Warrior were successful at the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club’s time-graded meeting last Thursday.
And if you’re wondering what the name Wangler is all about, according to Halliday he inadvertently omitted an “r” when submitting the dog’s naming form which was supposed to have read Wrangler.
But for all that, the black dog made a real mess of the Greg Martlew Autos TG5+W Stake (400 metres) when defeating Pace To Burn by six lengths in 23.50 seconds.
By Bernardo, Wangler – now a winner of nine races from 77 starts, all at Tara Raceway – is out of Spirited Bingle, who won 15 races when trained by Halliday.
His second winner came up in the Icon Signs TG1-4W Stake (512 m) when Yadillah Warrior, after settling in third spot early finished strongly and held out litter brother Yadillah Brave for a two length win in 30.46 seconds.
By Raw Ability out of Sea Mist, it took Yadillah Warrior 18 starts over the distance before breaking through for his first win. And he needed only another week before following up with his second win over 512 metres.
His last double had been on March 14 with Wangler’s litter brothers Yadillah Son and Yadillah Lad.
And as far as the name Yadillah is concerned, it’s Halliday spelt backwards. And that’s something his dogs aren’t doing at the moment.
Meanwhile, Tarpeena trainer Malcolm Keenan’s decision to try for a time-graded race for his 10-race winner Lektra Remi paid dividends last Thursday when the white and black bitch was successful in the Trackside Pet Meats Pick 6 TG5+W Stake (512 m).
Away well from box four, Lektra Remi was always on the pace and after finding the front down the back she was never headed. On the line she had three-quarters of a length to spare over a fast-finishing Kiwi To Burn in 30.24 seconds.
“She had been drawing some pretty handy races at Mount Gambier and Murray Bridge so I decided perhaps she might be better placed at a time-graded meeting where the opposition is possibly not quite as strong,” Keenan said.
“Now that’s fine but it did take a while to finally get her into a time-graded meeting. And it was nice to be able to win another race with her. Next I’m heading to Murray Bridge to give her a start up the straight.”
By leading sire Fernando Bale, Lektra Remi is out of Lektra Perry, a winner of eight races and was picked up by Keenan as a giveaway from Toolong breeder Phil Lenehan.
The highlight of racing at Tara Raceway during December will be the Christmas meeting on Sunday, December 22 which will feature the 14th running of the Christmas Cup final (512 m) – first run in December 2011 when won by the David Peckham trained Napoleon Wiz.
Winners to follow have been 2012 Lika Gem (Allen Williams), 2013 Bourne Again (David Peckham), 2014 Who’s Doing What (Tracie Price), 2015 Fear The Rascal (Tracie Price), 2016 Glenville Jester (Richard Clayfield), 2017 Hit The Runway (Nicole Stanley) and 2018 Hutch (Robert Halliday).
Then in 2019 it was Squishy Pear (David Peckham) followed by 2020 Golly Gumdrops (Tracie Price), 2021 Bungaloo Anne (John Little), 2022 Aston Ziebell (David Peckham) and 2023 Mister Banjo (Tracie Price).
Other events to complement the Christmas Cup, these days sponsored by Williams Crane Hire, include the Santa Sprint (400 m), Christmas Challenge (600 m), Merry Masters (305 m), Dasher Distance (732 m) and the Peter Whitehead Memorial Maiden (400 m).
And the Tara Tipsters Ryder-Cheshire Home Foundation – Mount Gambier 20-round series concluded last Thursday in what turned out to be a keenly contested competition.
Adelaide owner-trainer Tim Aloisi, a keen supporter of the Tara Tipsters, accumulated 541 points and defeated Greyhound Racing SA CEO Brenton Scott by one point. Falling at the final hurdle and finishing in third spot with 537 points was Scott Blacksell of Cape Bridgewater.
The Ryder-Cheshire Grade 6 Stake will be run over 512 metres at Tara Raceway on Sunday with the winner receiving a leather collar and lead, hand-crafted by Tara Tipster Andrew Earl.
Following the running of the race a donation will be made by the Tara Tipsters to representatives of Ryder-Cheshire.
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Youngster makes amends second time round
It seems owners Tanner Ahl and Tracie Price had been at odds over the naming of one of their youngsters. One wanted Indie included in the name while the other was looking to slot in the name Jill.
In the end the pair settled on Indie Or Jill as the racing name for the March 2023 daughter of US sire Magical Bale and Tangelo Fire, a winner of 11 races in Tasmania and South Australia prior to also whelping litters by Fernando Bale and Tommy Shelby.
In fact, the Fernando Bale litter includes the 2024 Group 3 Gawler Cup winner Pet Detective, a winner of 18 races – including seven on the trot between September and November – and $68,000 in prize money.
And still going strong is Lethridge-based Kathleen Boyle, the breeder of Tangelo Fire and certainly on fire at Warrnambool last Thursday night when winning the first three races with King Of Kindred, Ultimo and Little Narla.
Indie Or Jill found her way over to respected Dennington trainer Pat Bouchier at the pre-training stage.
“And it didn’t take long for her to start showing a bit,” he said. “But like a lot of young dogs she found racing in a field for the first time a little strange although I thought she handled herself pretty well when running third.”
Back for last week’s Greg Martlew Autos Maiden Stake (305 metres) and it was a different story after Indie Or Jill led all the way from box two for a one length win over Galactic Nemesis in 17.62 seconds.
Bouchier will be back again at Tara Raceway tomorrow – not with Indie Or Jill but with her half-brother Mango Cans (by Fernando Bale), a winner of 11 races and having his first start for his new trainer.