Following the running of four heats of the $115,000 TAB AGRC Anniversary Cup (530 metres) at Angle Park last Thursday night, Compton trainer Tracie Price now has three runners – Compton Rocks, Capybara and Compton Gold – in this week’s final.

The trio all finished second in their respective heats with Compton Rocks, a daughter of Tommy Shelby and Rock It Barcia, finding the front from box eight before being beaten two lengths by Barefoot Zulu in 30.34 seconds.

Capybara, by Fernando Bale out of Nangar Gold, settled in third spot in her heat before eventually going down by 1½ lengths to Nola Keeping, also in 30.34 seconds.

And box six runner Compton Gold (Beast Unleashed x Minnie Banjo) chased home Mallee Beauty, eventually beaten by 2¼ lengths in a quick 30.08 seconds.

The Anniversary Cup final box draw took place at the track later that night and Price didn’t fare too badly – 1 Compton Rocks, 2 Barefoot Zulu, 3 Black Noir, 4 Capybara, 5 Nola Keeping, 6 Mallee Beauty, 7 Victa Krev, 8 Compton Gold. Res. Woodside Johnny, Zelda Covilha.

Meanwhile, at Tara Raceway’s Thursday afternoon time-graded meeting, Price kicked off the day with a win by Wild Star – a member of the successful Need My Moneynow x Wild Marilyn litter – in the Commercial Hotel TG5+W Stake (400 m).

The black dog led all the way from box one and brought up win number 16 when defeating former kennelmate Crowie Unleashed by 2¼ lengths in 23.24 seconds.

Later in the day, in the Federal Hotel TG1-4W Stake (400 m), Compton Baker, a kennelmate and litter brother to Anniversary Cup finalist Compton Rocks, led all the way from box two for a 2¾ length win over Miracle Man in 23.27 seconds.

The Sealeys Springworks TG1-4W Stake (305 m) wrapped up a successful first half of the day for Price with a treble after Held For Ransom quickly found the front from box one before running away to a 4½ length win over Aston Deutz in a quick time of 17.48 seconds.

Also landing a treble was Berringa trainer Michael Niele who was successful with Acoustic Flash, Fernando Lee and Appellant. This was his second Tara Raceway treble this year after Speechless, Rusty Wheels and Fernando Lee had won on March 19.

Acoustic Flash, a daughter of Aston Dee Bee and Acoustic Lee, was having her 105th start last week when lining up in box two in the Cadillac Racing TG5+W Stake (305 m).

Chasing her first win over the distance, she quickly found the front and never really looked like being beaten when holding off Close Shave for a 1¼ length win in 17.99 seconds.

Fernando Lee, a son of Fernando Bale and Acoustic Lee then followed up in the Gordon Refrigeration TG5+W Stake (305 m) with a neck win over Jazzy Boo in 17.68 seconds.

And Appellant, by Plaintiff out of Paua Of Mindy, led all the way from box one in the Quickmix Concrete Group TG1-4W Stake (400 m). He defeated Dimora Bernie by 3½ lengths in 23.12 seconds.

In the Ontrack InsiderTG1-4W Stake (305 m), Painswick trainer Sandra Elmes landed her second Mount Gambier winner this year after $30 chance Classy Willow railed through in the home straight for a narrow win over Saint Kylie in 18.18 seconds.

By Tommy Shelby out of Pink Martini, Classy Willow has been with Elmes for all of its 52 starts and has now won five races. In charge of the winner last Thursday was Rick Boehm who was accompanied by his granddaughter Willow, 8, who the winner had been named after.

 

 

Last Thursday turned out to be a busy day for offspring of My Girl Kizzy’s three litters – by Fernando Bale, Cosmic Rumble and Fernando Bale – who were racing on SA and Victorian tracks.

At Sandown Park was her most successful offspring in Pass Mark – from the first Fernando Bale litter – who has raced on 84 occasions for 23 wins and accumulated more than $261,000 in prize money.

By Mepunga Blazer out of Mepunga Rosie, My Girl Kizzy won 11 races and more than $70,000 in prize money for Warrnambool owners Rob and Linda Gore. The former was at Tara Raceway last Thursday with two of the third litter who were having their first starts.

Bred, owned and trained by Linda Gore, September 2024 whelpings Moonlight Nellie and Our Girl Selkie fought out the Icon Signs Maiden Stake (305 metres) with 2½ lengths separating the pair on the line in a smart maiden time of 17.61 seconds.

Rob Gore, who includes an early morning swim every second day as part of the litter sisters’ training regime, said he believed runner-up Our Girl Selkie was the pick of the pair.

Meanwhile, Heathmere owner-trainer Garry Marshman landed his second win at Tara Raceway with Trust Deed – an $800 pick-up from Victorian trainer Matt Clark after having previously won three races at Warragul and Sale.

Jumping from box one in the Federal Hotel TG1-4W Stake (400 m), the son of Allen Deed and Indy’s Happy chased Appellant for much of the journey prior to scoring a narrow win in 23.26 seconds.

For Marshman, the purchase of the performed Trust Deed is working out pretty well given he had been looking to fill in some time. This had been while waiting for his two November 2024 Quinlan Bale x Dusseldorp pups – now at the trialling stage – to commence racing.

On debut at Tara Raceway last Thursday was Held For Ransom, a winner at Geelong and Ballarat for Scott Brandon and now in Tracie Price’s Compton kennels.

And the son of Bernardo and Dyna Quota looked pretty good after quickly finding the front and then running away to an eight length win over Saint Kylie in the Sealeys Springworks TG1-4W Stake (305 m) in 17.49 seconds.

Interestingly, Dyna Quota gave Nicole Stanley of Portland her biggest win as a trainer when successful in the 2019 SA Distance Championship (731 m) at Angle Park.

Incidentally, on the 2016 Tara Raceway trainers’ list Stanley had finished second behind Tracie Price. The following year she topped the leader board with 111 winners prior to being runner-up in 2018 and 2019 to Price and David Peckham.

Back in the present and Compton Shelly’s all the way 6¾ length win in the Quickmix Concrete Group TG5+W Stake (400 m) in 22.91 seconds for Price was the first win as a handler for Compton Kennels 19-year-old casual worker Teliah Fabian of Mount Gambier.

Involved in greyhound racing for the past 12 months, she is now hoping down the track to become further involved by taking out a trainer’s licence.

“I’m really enjoying my time out at Tracie and Karen’s kennels, helping to prepare the feeds and especially walking the dogs out in the scrub.”

The win of Lap To Burn, who led all the way in the Trackside Pet Meats TG5+W Stake (305 m) when defeating Fernando Lee by 1¼ lengths in 17.73 seconds, was the first leg of a double for Hamilton trainer Lorraine Goodwin.

By Knocka Norris out of Strength To Wyn, Lap To Burn’s win preceded that of kennelmate Kia Keeping who scored a big win over Oregon Caldwell in the Ontrack Insider TG5+W Stake (512 m) in 29.42 seconds.

Later that night at Warrnambool, Goodwin and her son Kyle had Surprise Star engaged over 390 metres. And the son of Tommy Shelby and Princess Kiwi displayed plenty of early pace from box seven before running out a 1½ length winner in a tidy 22.11 seconds.

Then, back at Tara Raceway last Sunday, Surprise Star’s litter sister Major Queen led all the way from box one for the Goodwins when defeating Compton Stella by 1½ lengths in the Greg Martlew Autos Stake (400 m) in 23.20 seconds.

This February 2024 litter out of the unraced Princess Kiwi – a daughter of Barcia Bale and Pearl’s Legacy – has been more than handy and includes NSW-based Winsome Jet, a winner of 13 races and prize money of more than $178,000.