The Calm Before the Storm
It was back in early 2016 that Moorak-based Robert Chuck picked up the Adelaide-based Storm Allen, fully intent on breeding a litter with the recently retired well-bred daughter of Bekim Bale x Horizon Bale.
All told, she had raced on 74 occasions for six wins – two of those over 643 metres at Gawler – and 31 minor placings. Chuck had already selected Dyna Lachlan as his sire of choice.
But it would be more than three years before the litter finally materialised – Storm Allen whelping two dogs and three bitches in July 2019. In fact, so long had the wait been that Chuck had actually booked her into the Greyhounds As Pets (GAP) program just prior to her coming in season.
Fast forward to 2021 and three of the litter – Cyclone Bolt, Galactic Medusa and Thick And Rich – have now won races at Tara Raceway.
Cyclone Bolt is raced by the long-time local syndicate of Ken Gillespie (also the trainer), Jack Peacock, Steve Bartholomew jr and Chuck who also owns the Steve Bartholomew trained Galactic Medusa. The Bartholomew family owns and trains Thick And Rich.
Another Chuck-bred litter to hit the track this year is that of Flying Stanley (US) and Galactic Cat, whelped in October 2019 and so far coming up with wins for Chuck (Galactic Dreamer) and Steve and Lee Bartholomew (Arctic Bear).
A daughter of Milldean Panther and Galactic Rumball, Galactic Cat was a winner of five races at Mount Gambier, Traralgon, Bendigo, Warrnambool and Horsham.
Bred by Chuck, Galactic Cat’s litter also included Galactic Panther, winner of the 2018 Summer Classic (512 m) at Tara Raceway and third the following month in the Mount Gambier Cup.
And another quick member of the litter was Faster Bolt who won 15 races at Mount Gambier, Warragul, Horsham, Warrnambool and Ballarat.
Galactic Athena, a daughter of Paddy Whacker x Galactic Rumball, was back at Tara Raceway on Sunday for breeder-owner Chuck and trainer Steve Bartholomew for the first time since early April when she had defeated litter sister Galactic Horizon over 512 metres.
Winner of the 2019 Mount Gambier Cup, Galactic Athena stepped out over 305 metres for the first time in the Commercial Hotel Masters Stake. Leading all the way, once again she defeated her sister in a quick 17.52 seconds.
A $16 chance, the white and blue dog settled in second spot behind long odds-on favourite Miss Sniper before finding the front turning for home and holding out Pongo to win by 1¾ lengths in 17.79 seconds.
With nine minor placings from nine race starts, Miss Sniper once again found herself shot down in the home straight.
For King Carey it was his first time in the money in eight starts after beginning his racing career in Victoria. It was also a case of him returning to where it all began – out at Allendale East and David Peckham’s Bourne Kennels where the litter was whelped for Tim Aloisi.
The win came on the back of litter brother Eternal Ten’s seven lengths win, for Aloisi and Lara trainer Deb Coleman, on the Friday night prior at Geelong.
Peckham-trained greyhounds won both maidens on the day after kennelmates Captain Obvious and Paradise Five fought out the Williams Crane Hire Stake (512 m), the former finishing the stronger for a three-quarters of a length win in 30.40 seconds.
By Paddy Whacker, Captain Obvious is out of Raz’s Girl, a winner of 12 short-course races at Tara Raceway when trained by Peckham who also bred the litter in August 2019.
Captain Obvious is raced by the Ross Schurgott-managed Nineofus Syndicate, an offshoot of the former Viking Syndicate that included Viking in the names of many of its greyhounds.
The Nineofus Syndicate is now introducing “Captain” into its naming criteria. Between 2015 and 2017 Schurgott and his associates enjoyed success with Thanks Captain, a winner of 11 races and a finalist in Fabregal’s 2017 Mount Gambier Cup.
King Carey opened his winning account on Sunday for trainer David Peckham and kennel assistant Christine Yourgules.
Captain Obvious (No. 8) scores a narrow win for the Nineofus Sydicate over Paradise Five on Sunday. In third place was Robert Chuck’s Galactic Anubis, a son of Dyna Lachlan and Storm Allen.