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.

With on-course race meeting patronage in decline it was certainly refreshing to witness a crowd resurgence at the running of the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club’s 46th Cup at Tara Raceway last Sunday.

The Mount Gambier Cup has certainly come a long way since its inaugural running back in 1981 when the winner was Joan Cruise and Newman McDonnell’s Tara Topar. Back then, the cup was run over the May holiday weekend.

In 1997 local greyhound racing relocated to its purpose-built track on Lake Terrace East where the Ralph Patzel trained Ashanti Gem won the first cup run over 512 metres in a time of 30.64 seconds. Later, the event switched to March-April, with heats and final a week apart.

This year, complementing the $50,000 Trackside Pet Meats Mount Gambier Cup and the Federal Hotel Cup Consolation were the Commersh Masters (305 m), the Ontrack Insider Open Maiden (305 m), the Produce Store Open (400 m) and the Quickmix Concrete Group Distance (732 m).

The Commersh Masters, for greyhounds 3¾ years and older, saw Wario – an April 2021 whelping and the oldest dog in the race with a phenomenal strike rate of 38 per cent – take the early lead from box seven.

But it was Myola Nick, the second-oldest dog in the race, who railed through off the back before running away to a 2¾ length win over the early leader in a personal best time of 17.51 seconds.

Bred, owned and trained at Purdeet by Annette Kampman, Myola Nick is by Aussie Infrared out of Pocket Queen who won only one race over 660 metres at Bendigo back in 2016. However, her son has now won 21 races and more than $66,000 in prize money.

My Mate Robbie burst onto the scene as a first-starter the previous week in a heat of the Ontrack Insider Maiden Stake (305 m). And the black dog gave nothing else a chance when defeating Super Stitch by 6¼ lengths in a quick 17.61 seconds.

And lining up from box seven in the final for Allendale East trainer David Peckham, he led all the way for a three length win over Miss Peachy in 17.53 seconds.

Owned and bred at Warrnambool by Noel Mugavin, My Mate Robbie is an October 2023 whelping by Fernando Bale out of Grace Ali, a winner of 21 races and more than $239,000 in prize money.

However, for Mugavin the win had been overshadowed by the death last week of his brother Kevin, 62, who had achieved tremendous success as a greyhound trainer over a number of years. He also trained two Mount Gambier Cup winners – Poetic Magic in 2006 and Rich Shiraz in 2012.

Noel Mugavin said that in more recent times his brother had loved nothing better than the two hour trip over to Mount Gambier to race a dog or two.

“Kevin had trained three doubles at the track this year and said he really enjoyed the racing and the people over there.”

Mister Cadillac, owned and trained at Edenhope by Captain Abbott, landed his 30th win at start number 127 when quickly finding the front in the Produce Store Open (400 m) and defeating Trading Halt by 4¾ lengths in 22.83 seconds.

For the NSW-bred son of Magical Bale and Koa Lass, it’s been another good start to the year for the white and brindle dog who in 2024 shared the Mount Gambier Greyhound of the Year award with his kennelmate Top Cadillac.

And last year Mister Cadillac finished second in the GOTY award behind Wind Whiskers after winning 12 races and accumulating 23 minor placings.

Finniss couple Lauren Harris and Ryan Tugwell had no luck in the cup final with Galactic Nemesis but still went home with a winner after former Victorian stayer Nitrous won the Quickmix Concrete 732 metre race.

Jamarra took up the early running with Nitrous quickly settling in second spot. But by the home turn the Harris-trained black dog had hit the front and then held off the fast finishing Compton Rocky for a 1¼ length win.

Based at Finniss since the beginning of the year, Nitrous has now won three staying races – two previously over 730 metres at Angle Park for Tugwell’s Next Racing Syndicate.

By Shima Shine, he’s out of Harlequin Rose, whose dam Soul Dancer had some handy staying runs to her name.

Photos: Ash Penhall.