The classic’s still coming up with some good ones - Mount Gambier Week in Review
The classic’s still coming up with some good ones
It’s fair to say that Mount Gambier’s age-restricted 512 metre Winter Classic has endured its share of ups and downs since first being run back in 2014 when won by the Tracie Price trained Stylish Moment (Spring Gun x Nicky’s Moment).
The 2024 Cadillac Racing Winter Classic, for greyhounds whelped on or after July 1, 2022, failed to attract sufficient numbers to run heats. In fact, there were barely sufficient entries to run the $6500 final after a scratching reduced the number to four.
But, for all that, the Winter Classic is a race that has been won by some pretty handy greyhounds. This year was no different.
In 2017 the race was won by Solitary Lad, who earlier in the year had won the John Reid Memorial Maiden. The son of Lonesome Cry and Up And Away was trained at Glenroy by Richard Clayfield who seven years later is now enjoying further success with the breed through the deeds of Shore’s Pick.
A winner of three of her past four starts at Tara Raceway, Shore’s Pick is by Bernardo out of Shore’s Girl. Both Up And Away and Shore’s Girl are daughters of On Shore.
The following year the Price-trained Smart Knocka (Knocka Norris x Who’s Doing What) took the classic to a new level when running a race record 29.85 seconds. Two months later the blue dog won the Adelaide Cup Consolation at Angle Park.
The Langhorne Creek-based Balboa Fury, trained by Tony Hinrichsen, lowered the race record in 2019 when scoring a big win in 29.84 seconds. And in 2020 Price landed his fourth Winter Classic win with Our Boy Thommo in 30.18 seconds.
Worrolong trainer Steve Bartholomew’s Mary Bridget (Flying Stanley x Galactic Cat) was successful in 2021 in 29.85 seconds.
Then in 2022 Lochinvar Cahill (Fernando Bale x Tears Some) lowered the race record to 29.57 seconds for Allendale East trainer David Peckham who had also bred the inaugural winner back in 2014.
Last year’s winner was Malevolent Girl who defeated Top Cadillac in 30.09 seconds. The daughter of Sennachie and Won’t Stop Her was trained at Branxholme by Laughlan McLean who three months later won a heat and the final of the Newman McDonnell Memorial (512 m) with the black bitch.
Bourne Model, tipping the scales at only 24½ kilograms, went into this year’s Winter Classic having already won the John Reid Memorial last month for Peckham and the Bourne Team which also includes Christine Yourgules, Kevin Patzel and Kevin Douglas.
Douglas, who had also been associated with the 2022 Winter Classic winner, was still in Adelaide come last Sunday after having received the Denise Fysh Award at the Nationals Gala Awards Night on the Friday night.
And Bourne Model, a daughter of Feral Franky and Sweet On Me – winner of the 2020 Summer Classic – led all the way from box four, defeating the well-credentialled Murray Bridge youngster Apilla by three lengths in 29.91 seconds.
Over the years Peckham has been a great supporter of the Mount Gambier classics for young greyhounds. And at the Cadillac Racing Winter Classic presentation he said while this year’s response had been disappointing he hoped the classics would continue to be promoted.
As far as the impressive Bourne Model was concerned, Peckham said he was now looking at the forthcoming SA Country Cup heats at Mount Gambier on Sunday, September 29.
A maximum of two $4000 heats will be run over 512 metres with the winners representing Mount Gambier in the $8500 final at Angle Park on Adelaide Cup night – Friday, October 11.
Meanwhile, in the race leading into the Winter Classic, the Winning Post Supplies Maiden Stake (400 m), the nicely bred Is He Lucky won on debut for Ararat owner-trainer Doug Hammerstein.
A February 2023 whelping by Beast Unleashed, the black dog is out of Made Me Blind, a winner of 24 races and more than $44,000 in prize money and a daughter of the Group 1 winning Maja Mahi Mahi.
Slowly away from box one, Is He Lucky quickly found the front and raced away for a 7¼ length win over Ike The Brute in 23.75 seconds.
“We purchased Is He Lucky and his brother Is He Happy from the Paraskevas’ who then reared them at Pearcedale before we brought them home and broke them in,” Hammerstein said.
“They’re still very young and as they showed today, still very green. We thought Mount Gambier would be a good place to start them off given the smaller fields for maiden races.
“There’s a long way to go yet, but we’re holding out high hopes for them.”
Local participants benefit from prize money boost during Nationals week
With South Australia last weekend hosting the Nationals for the first time since 2016, it was a case of participants reaping the benefits through prize money increases for events conducted last week.
The increases stretched as far as Mount Gambier, with a total of more than $4000 added to the Thursday time-graded and Sunday’s category 2 meetings at Tara Raceway.
And it was trainers Michael Niele of Berringa, Cap Abbott (Edenhope) and Darren Petersen (Rochester) who collected the lion’s share of the extra prize money on offer at the Thursday meeting when leading in doubles.
It didn’t take long for Niele – back at Tara Raceway after a six-week absence – to find winning form again when Amali Moo was successful in the opening event – the Da’Leni Meats Maiden Stake (305 metres).
Lining up for her sixth start, the Amy Syndicate-owned daughter of Bernardo and Lorenza led all the way from box two for a length win over Total Garth in 18.13 seconds. Niele is the blue bitch’s third trainer in a racing career that has so far spanned only five months.
An hour later, Silver Streak, a daughter of Cosmic Chief and Miss Heart, and a winner the last time Niele had raced in Mount Gambier, fronted up as a $13 chance in the Williams Crane Hire TG1-4W Stake (400 m).
Raced by Tullamarine-based Noel Walsh, Silver Streak chased Pate Biscuit and Kahu into the home straight before finishing strongly for a 1¼ length win over Kahu in 23.75 seconds. For Niele, it was his fourth local double this year.
Cadillac Beast was the first leg of Abbott’s 10th double this year after virtually leading all the way in the Metal Worx TG1-4W Stake (400 m) and defeating Sudoku Jade by 1½ lengths in 23.84 seconds.
The win was the son of Beast Unleashed x Olivia’s Ruby’s first since November last year and preceded Cadillac Girl’s narrow all the way win over the Niele-trained Property Mogul in the Commercial Hotel TG5+W Stake (400 m) in 23.56 seconds.
Lakeview Lottie, chasing her first win in more than 12 months, looked pretty good for Petersen when leading all the way in the Cadillac Racing TG5+W Stake (512 m) and defeating Two Hands George by 5½ lengths in a best of day 29.87 seconds.
Purchased with distance racing in mind, the daughter of Whiskey Riot and Lakeview Grace ran a 2½ length third over 732 metres last month at Tara Raceway behind Vega Black who was successful again last week over the distance.
And Petersen brought up his double after Golden State led all the way from box three in the Greg Martlew Autos TG5+W Stake (400 m) for a 2½ length win over Quantum Master in 23.66 seconds.
Only a head separated kennelmates Penny Drop and Starlight Jewel in the Todd’s Photographics TG1-4W Stake – the first of two heats of this month’s Fast Forward series over 512 metres.
And it was another Goodwin family affair with the Hamilton-based mother and son team of Lorraine and Kyle both ensuring a spot in this week’s final with Penny Drop and Starlight Jewel after they had run 30.18 seconds and 30.19 seconds respectively.
Bourne Panama, owned and trained at Allendale East by David Peckham, also looks set to make her presence felt in the Category 2 final given that she didn’t run much slower than the first heat when defeating Jacaranda by 5¾ lengths in 30.22 seconds.
Meanwhile, the Thursday, September 5 time-graded meeting at Tara Raceway, as had been the case in August for the first meeting of the month, will be graded best to worst.
However, the remaining three Thursday meetings for the month will be graded worst to best and include the Fast Forward 1-4 wins heats and finals over 400 metres and 512 metres.
Club stalwart receives Denise Fysh Award
It was in April 2019 that the Australian greyhound industry lost a true icon with the passing of Denise Fysh after succumbing to cancer.
Her passion and selfless devotion to the Hobart Greyhound Racing Club and to her home state Tasmania had a profound influence that will benefit generations to come.
In 2019 the inaugural Denise Fysh Award was won by Jade McKenzie (WA). Winners since have been Frank and Tracey Hurst (NSW), Ron Hawkswell (Vic.), Stevie White (NSW) and Amanda Grice (Tas.).
And with the Nationals being conducted for the first time in 16 years in SA last weekend, at the Gala Awards Night conducted last Friday night at the Pullman Adelaide it was Kevin “KD” Douglas of Mount Gambier who received the Denise Fysh Award.
Douglas, renowned for his charity work in the South East, is also one of the mainstays behind the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club’s Tara Tipsters “Chasing for Charity” concept which supports local charities.
“By and large the Tara Tipsters is made up of regular participants making a small contribution and being involved in a tipping competition at the twice-weekly Tara Raceway meetings that benefits a local charity,” Douglas said.
“Then, every couple of months or so, representatives from the charity of choice are invited out to the track for a Sunday race meeting and receive a donation from the Tara Tipsters following the running of a designated race.
“The Tara Tipsters concept has a great social justice attitude and looks to support outside interests. Sometimes small things make a difference and we like to help people in need.”
And gratefully accepted by the Tara Tipsters was a donation of $500 from Greyhound Racing SA.
As things turned out, it was a top weekend for the reticent award winner after the David Peckham trained Bourne Model, who is part-owned by Douglas, won the Cadillac Racing Winter Classic (512 metres) at Tara Raceway on Sunday afternoon.
It was certainly a big weekend for SA greyhound racing. After the presentations on Friday night attention turned to Murray Bridge and Angle Park on Saturday for the National Championships.
Saturday morning saw the running of the $28,000 to the winner National Straight Track Championship (350 m) at Murray Bridge.
This comprised representatives from the four states conducting straight track racing – Capalaba (Qld.), Richmond (NSW), Healesville (Vic.) and Murray Bridge (SA). And it was the Victorian representative Mile A Minute who was successful.
At Angle Park on Saturday night, the $85,000 to the winner National Sprint Championship (530 m) and the $85,000 to the winner National Distance Championship (730 m) were won by Miss Envy (WA) and Raider’s Guide (Tas.).
Flying the flag for the locals at Angle Park on Saturday night was the Bartholomew family of Worrolong who had Just Alfie and Yoda Lady engaged.
Both are trained by Lauren Harris of Finniss – Just Alfie, a son of Hooked On Scotch and Miss Bellawood and purchased as a pup, scoring a big win over 730 metres.
And the Bartholomew bred and owned Yoda Lady, a daughter of Blazin Wildfire and 2019 Mount Gambier Cup winner Galactic Athena, brought up her 11th win when successful over 530 metres.