Youngsters show their talent (Gawler)
Some fast young greyhounds gathered at Gawler on Tuesday to compete in the 2014 Breeders Heats. The series is for SA greyhounds whelped in the first 6 months of 2012 and was contested in 5 heats run over the 531m distance. Only the winners and the fastest second placed greyhounds are eligible to run in the Final, so it is imperative to run a good race in the Heats.
Trainer Cameron Butcher was the most successful on the day when he produced a trio of wins. The first of his winners came in the third Heat, when Sidney’s Shadow scored an all the way win in the fastest time of the day, 30.55 seconds.
A littermate to Sidney’s Shadow, Boonoona Boy lined up in the following race and came from behind to win in a respectable time of 31.05 seconds, scoring at the big odds of $21. In the final Heat, Cameron was represented by Regal Looper, which got to the front when it counted to win in the fast time of 30.62 seconds.
Cameron trains the greyhounds which are raced in partnership with his wife Yvonne. Based on a farm property at Meningie, Cameron and Yvonne rear all the pups themselves and have become respected for producing well-credentialed runners at the track. All three greyhounds have excellent records with Sidney’s Shadow winning 12 races with 10 placing’s from 26 starts, Boonoona Boy 5 wins and 10 placing’s from 29, and Regal Looper 8 wins and 7 placing’s from 21.
While the Butcher team will have a strong presence in the Final next week, there are other strong chances as well. The winner of the first Heat was Dakota Premier which led all the way to win for Colin Simes, in 30.60 seconds.
The second Heat went the way of recent Gawler winner Wingard. Trained at Lewiston by Des Hockley, Wingard also ran a fast time of 30.58 seconds in leading from start to finish.
Add in the three fastest second placed runners Irish Midge, Long Gully Mark and Mullingar Lad to the field and we have a very interesting and competitive Final coming up. This is a great lead in for the time honoured Gawler Produce Series, which some of these runners will be eagerly contesting over a 3 race Series in June and July.
Some racing dates may be affected soon, so please check on gawlergreyhounds.com for a current calendar. Until advised, racing will continue on Tuesday afternoons, with the next Sunday twilight meeting scheduled for the 22nd of June.