Winning return for Black Spring
After being hamstrung by SA’s indefinite border closure, Edenhope owner Captain Abbott’s decision to transfer his 2019 Mount Gambier Greyhound of the Year Black Spring to Tracie Price’s Compton kennels proved to be a winning move.
Back at Tara Raceway for the first time since March 22, Black Spring scored an emphatic win in the JB Irrigation Mixed Stake (512 metres) on Thursday after taking the lead down the back straight and then running out a 5½ lengths winner over kennelmate Double Love in 30.02 seconds.
And, according to Price, he was no sooner off the track with the son of Spring Gun x Lektra Scarlett than Abbott had been on the phone, delighted that his dog had been able to win at what was his 100th start.
The win was Black Spring’s first since late April when he was successful at Horsham over 485 metres at odds of $72. All told, he’s now won 20 races (17 at Mount Gambier) and run 35 minor placings.
Abbott is one of a number of Victorian trainers that formerly supported Tara Raceway on a weekly basis. Now, it’s not only their greyhounds that are sadly missed but also the trainers and their supporters who when on track contribute to the wonderful social fabric of Tara Raceway.
Black Spring was the second leg of a treble for Price – Elle Limes kicking off his big day when too strong for Dusseldorp in the Bourne Kennels Stake (400 m) in 23.15 seconds and Tandiki turning in a huge effort to win the Winmore Greyhound Kennels Stake (512 m).
Fantastic Flame looked to have what was a race-winning lead down the back with the long odds-on Tandiki having plenty of work to do. However, she stormed home out wide to grab the leader in the shadows of the post to record a best of day win in 29.83 seconds.
Bred by Price, Tandiki is a daughter of Peter Rocket x Headline and raced by local owners Michael Robinson and Willie Vossen.
And it was a big couple of days for the litter with Lisa Hellmuth’s Burn Time, a 35 kilograms white and black dog, leading all the way to win a Special Event at Cranbourne over 699 metres by 8½ lengths.
