Sins To Burn in line for second Fast Forward win this month
Hamilton-based Sins To Burn looks a good chance of bringing up his second Fast Forward win at Tara Raceway this month when he lines up in Thursday’s 512 metre final for owner-trainer Lorraine Goodwin.
Sins To Burn and Spot On Yvonne qualify for the Fast Forward final over 512 metres.
Having only his second run over the distance, the son of Aston Kimetto and Slew Left led all the way in last Thursday’s Williams Crane Hire Fast Forward second heat. On the line he had 2½ lengths to spare over Spot On Yvonne in 30.18 seconds – the faster of the two heats.
Earlier in the month, Sins To Burn had scored a narrow win over Minh Ellie in the 400 metre Fast Forward final. Both finals, which comprise the fastest eight greyhounds, irrespective of finishing positions in the heats, are run on a monthly basis and carry Category 2 prizemoney.
As such, Goodwin and her son Kyle, will have three finalists on Thursday after Comet To Burn and Mjolnir To Burn were also among the top eight fastest.
In the first heat, the Metal Worx Fast Forward, kennelmates Cawbourne Baxter and Cawbourne Gia fought out the finish for Parwan trainer Julie Green.
By Swift Fancy out of Cawbourne Kristy, Cawbourne Baxter led all the way before just holding out Cawbourne Gia to win by a head in 30.39 seconds – both greyhounds making it through to the final.
And Green will be hoping for a change of luck with Cawbourne Baxter who went down narrowly when finishing second to Saint Milly in last month’s Fast Forward final over 512 metres.
The durable 5½-year-old Maximum Refusal, who first raced over 350 metres at Goulburn back on December 5, 2019, went around for the 154th time when contesting the Exchange Printers Stake (600 m).
With his fifth trainer – David Peckham of Allendale East – since April 2021, Maximum Refusal brought up his 30th win when leading all the way and defeating Circus Craze by three-quarters of a length in 35.28 seconds.
Peckham has now won 20 races with the son of Fernando Bale and Kilkee Flex who has been successful over distances ranging from 400 metres at Wagga to 732 metres at Mount Gambier.
Berringa trainer Michael Niele landed his third double at Tara Raceway this year when Bridgewater Lyn and Acoustic Flash were successful in TG1-4W 400 metre events.
By Bernardo out of Eureka Osti, Bridgewater Lyn settled in second spot behind Cadillac Racer before taking the lead turning for home and running out a three length winner over Ragnar Boy in 23.68 seconds.
And Acoustic Flash, quick to take advantage of some early interference, scored an 8½ length win over Fried Giblet in 23.34 seconds.
The daughter of Aston Dee Bee and Acoustic Lee, formerly trained by the owner Noel Walsh at Tullamarine, had previously won for Niele at Ballarat prior to last Thursday’s success.
“That’s what she needed today, a real confidence-boosting run,” he said.
Niele’s first double this year came in May with Problem Angel and Stormin’ Frank. And he followed up in July with Arrow Bar Peanut and Gizmo Osti.
Meanwhile, it seems Koroit owner-trainer Lindsay Brookes spends almost as much time at Mount Gambier’s Tara Raceway as he does at his home track at Warrnambool.
He was at Tara Raceway last Thursday with his good mate Peter Keane, also of Koroit. And while there were no winners forthcoming, Keane was pretty quick to let it be known that Brookes had just that week been awarded life membership of the Warrnambool Greyhound Racing Club.
Involved with the Warrnambool club for 30-odd years, Brookes has also spent 25 years as a Committee of Management Delegate for Wannon Park. He was also president of the Warrnambool club for two years.
Brookes, 78, was a motor mechanic for 30 years prior to spending 20 years as a mechanic come school bus and coach driver.
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Bad Move fires in inaugural Cannonball final
As far as locally-based chaser Bad Move was concerned it was a case of first out, first home from box seven in last Sunday’s inaugural Cadillac Racing Cannonball final over 305 metres at Tara Raceway.
Trained at Compton by Tracie Price for Adelaide owner Nick Lalli, Bad Move ran out a three length winner in 17.61 seconds over the Ray Mahony-trained Fend Them Off. Filling third spot was Federal Flash, trained by David Peckham.
According to Price, the high-price black bitch, who is more than paying her way, found her way down to Mount Gambier from Adelaide due to a tendency to want to jump fences.
“Yes, she’s a really keen dog but certainly a good fence hopper to go with it. Bad Move’s previous trainer was unable to free gallop her because of the trait. Hopefully, we now have her sorted,” he said.
She’s by Shima Shine out Slinky Inky, a winner of 14 races and close to $65,000 in prize money. And Slinky Inky’s breeding is interesting, given that she is a daughter of Oaks Road x Mepunga Lana and a litter sister to Wilbur Deeds.
Garry Anders of Koroit bred the litter and raced Wilbur Deeds who went around on 144 occasions for 25 wins. The black dog strung together four wins on the trot at Tara Raceway when 305 metre racing commenced in early 2021 in times of 17.73, 17.73, 17.61 and 17.94 seconds.
Cannonball sponsors, Captain Abbott and Kerry Hawker of the Edenhope-based Cadillac Racing, went out of their way to support the first open 305 metre series to be conducted at Tara Raceway.
And the striking Cadillac Racing banner that they had provided certainly added to the occasion and took pride of place at last Sunday’s race meeting as it will for future Cannonballs.
They also did pretty well on the track themselves when evergreen chaser Nero Valentino led all the way in the Exchange Printers Mixed Stake (512 m) and defeated Grumpy Sailor by 2½ lengths in 30.02 seconds.
The win was the sixth this year at the local track for the son of Fernando Bale and Sweet Barbados. And with 17 seconds and nine thirds as well for a total of 64 points Nero Valentino is looking the likely Greyhound of the Year.
A second win followed in the final race, the Swallow Drive Meats Stake (400 m), after Cadillac Ragtop led all the way from box two for a half-length win over Myall Hiker in 23.12 seconds.
By Premier Fantasy, the black bitch is out of the Edenhope-based Pamela Rocks who has produced 35 winners this year and currently leads the way in the Mount Gambier Leading Dam of the Year award.
And after enjoying little luck at Angle Park last week, Cadillac Racing returns to the city track tonight with Cadillac Patch, Top Cadillac and Mister Cadillac who will contest heats of the Leigh Rogers Feature Grade 6 (530 m).
Meanwhile, Wattle Flat owner Geoff Collins – among the pioneers of the importation of US frozen semen in the 1990s – was back last Sunday with Iron Atlas who is trained by his partner Rosalyn Hume.
And there’s plenty of import in Iron Atlas who is by Fernando Bale, a son of Kelsos Fusileer (US) out of Kasreyn, a daughter of Chasin The Dream (Lonesome Cry x Dreamy Blossom).
“We actually had Kasreyn and ended up with two pups from the litter – Iron Atlas and Admonish,” Collins said.
Collins was at Tara Raceway a month ago with Iron Atlas who ran third over 400 metres behind Current Model. However, at his next start he was a best of night winner at Geelong over 460 metres.
Stepping up to 512 metres in the Trackside Pet Meats Pick 6 Stake, the 36 kilogram brindle dog, after finding some early interference, soon sorted himself out and on the line had 10 lengths to spare over Judiciary in 30.10 seconds.
Also of interest, as far as Collins was concerned, was another Price-trained greyhound in Wild Reggie who won a keenly contested Produce Store Stake (400 m) from Popcorn Miss in 23.60 seconds.
Wild Reggie is by US sire Need My Moneynow whose frozen semen was imported to Australia by Collins. The Wild Marilyn litter has now won five races at Tara Raceway.
It had been a good weekend for Need My Moneynow with litter brothers Oregon Durant and Oregon Caldwell winning at The Meadows over 525 metres on Saturday night.
Recalling his early days in greyhound racing, he said his first winner as an owner had actually been at Mount Gambier’s original greyhound track at Glenburnie in May 1994 when Turkey Lass, trained by the late Jim Williams, defeated Richard Clayfield’s Beau Dan over 479 metres.
The life membership announcement had been made at the club’s Annual General Meeting by WGRC president Rob Gore.
“That was certainly something I wasn’t expecting,” Brookes said.