Sunday Gawler Greyhounds
There was another great night of greyhound racing on Sunday at Gawler, which resulted in three training doubles, plus an owner’s treble.
The first trainer to register a double was Ken Gill, who managed the feat in consecutive events. Ken’s first winner was Zipping Sultan, which had landed second after the start, behind Tangelo Fire, but then proved to be too speedy for the others, running a good time of 30.84 secs. The second win came in the next event when Zipping Benson settled in third position going around the first turn. The leader, Hali’s Girl, set a good pace out in front and had at one stage set up a four-length break over Zipping Benson, but with a strong finish, Zipping Benson proved to be too good, winning by 2½ lengths. Ken’s double also gave the owners, Tim Aloisi and Matt Lehman a winning double.
Two Wells trainer Bosko Stamenkovic was the next to lay the foundation for his double when Fire Strike won the first of two Heats of the Howard Ashton Group 3 Classic Event. Starting from box 8, Fire Strike had begun well but was caught wide before being able to sweep to the lead halfway down the back straight, going on to win by just over two lengths. The second leg of Bosko’s pair came via Time Wise, which scored a comfortable victory by 5¼ lengths.
Ben Rawlings struck his double in the last races on the program, with the first being Barbados Express in a Grade 6 643m race. Barbados Express had recently won the prestigious Bayroad Queen Stayers Feature at Murray Bridge and was able to record an all the way win, with a narrow margin of just under a length. Ben’s second win was in the final race, which saw Vontae Mack take the lead mid-race and then power away from the opposition to win over Victa Jess by 8 lengths, in a good time of 30.84 secs for the 531m journey.
There was also an ownership treble that included the two Heats of the feature race on the night. Having been successful as a part-owner of Fire Strike in the first Heat, Cameron Butcher won the second Heat with its littermate, Jack’s Well, which continued on its great winning record at Gawler, which now stands at 7 wins and 3 placings from 11 starts there. Fire Strike and Jack’s Well are both owned by Cameron and Yvonne Butcher from Meningie and will join the other qualifiers for the $37 500 Final to be run at Gawler next Sunday. The third win for the Meningie couple was Time Wise, which rounded off a good night for them.
The racing schedule at Gawler for this week is Friday afternoon, an extra meeting early on Saturday morning, Sunday night and Tuesday afternoon. Catering is available at each meeting, and if you are looking to have a meal on our popular Sunday night, please book with the Club on 8522 2935.
Fire Strike in full flight at the finish line. Credit: Kurt Donsberg Photography