Murray Bridge, SA Straight Track Championship
On a ripping Wednesday afternoon, we headed to Murray Bridge for the final of the 2020 National Straight Track Championship – SA Edition. Unfortunately, with this virus still doing the rounds, the National Final that should have been run in Capalaba has been scrapped…. but that didn’t stop a tops race yesterday.
The 4 heats last week saw some good racing some good times, none more so than Air Marshall who was having his first lookup the straight track. He won heat 4 in the fastest time of 18:74 and getting another inside alley for the final, punters thought he might be the one.
Heat 3 winner Call me Billy wasn’t far behind in time running 18:77. It was a top effort after an extended time out of racing with a stopper injury, but he ran like an Aston Martin does when it comes straight off the showroom floor.
Fly For Fun won his heat in 19:12 and progressed thru to the big dance and the same for Woodside Jester who got the nod in his heat in a time of 18:95.
The remaining finalist were made up of the second-place getters in the heats with Naja Naja, Footrot Fosse, Suspense and Friday Frothies rounding out the field.
The first 7 races were run and won and the track was showing it wasn’t lightning quick with no dogs breaking 19 seconds for the 350m trip and the shorter trip of 300m also a touch slower than usual – but you don’t get any extra prizemoney for running faster so it didn’t matter!!
It was time for the big one…. All handlers and dogs made their way down to the 350m boxes and were locked and loaded and ready to run. Air Marshall did start favourite at two bucks fifty, and there was a bit of a whisper that Woodside Jester might be worth an each way ticket. Suspense, the current track record holder of 300m, was well in the market qualifying in the third-fastest time and Thenineofus Syndicate were also trackside to see if Call Me Billy could make the return even more of a fairytale…
With a fair crowd on hand the lids went up and the dogs were off! The inside and outside pair of Air Marshall and Suspense jumped well with Friday Frothies in the 7 pushing up. From the 8 Suspense got down to the rail and from the 2 Naja Naja ended up near the fence, but Suspense was able to get to the front and things got a little squishy behind him, and he broke away from the pack.
With 100 metres to go Suspense was in no danger and all eyes were on the minor placings. Air Marshall held down the silver medal with Woodside Jester taking the bronze and then a wall of dogs behind them.
Every race has a hard-luck story and this one was Call Me Billy. He jumped well from box 5 and was right at the pointy end and looking good but got caught up in the ruckus. He lost momentum and dropped back and when dogs are zinging along at over 18 metres a second you can’t make the ground up.
All honours went to the winner tho. Suspense aka “Spencer” is turning into a straight track specialist. With the back leg injury he sustained as a pup he’s not a fan of going round bends but give him a nice straight run and look out!!
The win takes his race record to 7 starts for 4 wins and 2 seconds and also gave Kirin, the smiling assassin, another big chunk of a trophy to add to, what must be, a pretty impressive collection!
