Compton-based trainer Tracie Price and his daughter Sarah will be hoping their in-form greyhound Pinky Rocks can continue on her winning way in a heat of this Sunday’s $25,000 Federal Hotel Anniversary Cup (512 metres) at Tara Raceway.

Contesting last Sunday’s Federal Hotel Mixed Stake (512 m), Pinky Rocks displayed plenty of early pace from box six when leading all the way for a two length win over another genuine Anniversary Cup contender in Kia Keeping in a quick time of 29.36 seconds.

For the June 2024 daughter of Tommy Shelby and Rock It Barcia, it was her fourth successive win. During June she won over 400 metres at Tara Raceway by 13½ lengths in a near-record time of 22.54 seconds.

Pinky Rocks then followed up with a 512 metre win in a quick 29.54 seconds before venturing to Murray Bridge where she won over 455 metres at the end of the month in a best of day time of 25.46 seconds.

The Mount Gambier Anniversary Cup was first run out at Glenburnie in 1985 when won by Hazel Lane’s Kenzel Lad. And the first Anniversary Cup run at the Lake Terrace East venue was won by the Col Sims trained Becker McLaren in 1997 in a time of 30.28 seconds.

Price boasts an impressive record in the cup. In 2020 he was successful with Spring Cuervo in 29.77 seconds. He then followed up in successive years with Tandiki (29.75 seconds) and Giant’s Flash who equalled his own track record when winning in 29.19 seconds.

And last Sunday was another big day for Price when he ended the day with four other winners as well – Compton Lass, Compton Rocks, Compton To Avoid and Rock It Kathy on the 10-race card. This was the third time this year that he had trained five winners at a local meeting.

Kicking off the meeting was the Klaassens Contractors Mixed Stake over 600 metres which resulted in littermates Big Boy Jett and Blue Moon Marie fighting out the finish for local owners Noel Miller and Peter Lamond and Koroit trainer Peter Keane.

Always on the pace, Big Boy Jett, who had run third the previous week over 600 metres to Duran Pantera, defeated his sister by 1½ lengths in a time of 35.33 seconds. Early leader Weblec Shiralee, trained at Springton by Maddie Schulz, finished a further three lengths back in third spot.

Big Boy Jett and Blue Moon Marie are by Blue Moon Rising out of 2019 Mount Gambier Cup winner Galactic Athena. The litter also includes Robert Chuck’s locally owned Galactic Nemesis, a winner of 23 races.

According to long-time trainer Keane, there’s quite a story surrounding Blue Moon Marie, who together with her litter brother had been purchased as a pup from Worrolong breeder Steve Bartholomew and reared by Miller.

“Actually, Blue Moon Marie kicked off her racing career in pretty good style,” he said. “From her first five starts she won two races at Warrnambool over 390 metres and 450 metres.

“Then the rot set in after she fell at her next start at Warrnambool. We doubted whether she would ever race again but 12 months later she resumed. Finishing down the line at her first two runs back, we persevered and in May, much to our delight, she won over 512 metres at Tara Raceway.”

Keane said he would now weigh up his options as far as the 600 metre Eric Lewis Memorial at Tara Raceway on Anniversary Cup final day on Sunday, July 19 was concerned.

He also had Typhoon Thomas, at 5½ years of age the oldest runner engaged in the Greg Martlew Autos Stake (305 m), a Masters race for greyhounds around four years of age and older.

But it was Cadillac Belle, at five years of age, and with 102 starts to her name, who led all the way from box five and defeated 109-start veteran Harry Chana by two lengths in 17.75 seconds for Edenhope trainer Kerry Hawker of Cadillac Racing.

By Aussie Infrared out of Marlise Bale, Cadillac Belle commenced racing at Tara Raceway back in October 2023 when defeating Mr. Tandiki over 305 metres in a time of 18.05 seconds.

And later in the day, Cap Abbott, the other half of Cadillac Racing, was successful with Bali Unleashed in the Icon Signs Stake (512 m).

By Beast Unleashed x Minnie Banjo, the black bitch chased Lektra Sting and Ollie Limes into the home straight before finishing powerfully for a length win in 30.67 seconds.

Last Thursday’s greyhound meeting at Tara Raceway turned out to be a successful day for Glencoe husband and wife team Dean and Edna Fennell after they combined to win three races on the nine-event card.

And the treble was sired by Feral Franky, a winner of 24 races and close to half a million dollars in prize money before carving out a successful career at stud.

Two of the winners, Compton Bowie and Magic Poppy, are out of Perseverance, the daughter of Dyna Double One and Miss Freelove winning 16 races at Tara Raceway between 2019 and early 2021 for Dean Fennell.

In 2020 Perseverance won a keenly contested Mount Gambier Greyhound of the Year award after defeating Dyna Carnie by one point with a further point back to Keen One in third spot.

She had been so named due to her reluctance to initially chase the lure and the amount of time it took for her to finally switch on. Upon her retirement she returned to her breeder Karen Price of Compton where in October last year she whelped a second litter – this time by Bernardo.

Magic Poppy was the first of Perseverance’s initial litter to race. The brindle bitch defeated Menari Ace over 305 metres at Tara Raceway in 18.04 seconds back in early October 2024.

She’s the only greyhound owned and trained by Edna Fennell, who back in 2021 had won four races at Tara Raceway with King Smiley, a son of Spring Gun and Bekim Lucy’s.

And in last Thursday’s Williams Crane Hire TG5+W Stake (400 m), box six runner Magic Poppy settled in third spot down the back before finishing over the top of the front-running Classy Willow to score by a neck in 23.63 seconds.

In the previous race, the Ontrack Insider TG1-4W Stake (400 m), Compton Bowie, after overcoming an ordinary start from box five, found the front down the back before running out a comfortable 2¼ length winner over Compton Zirconia in 23.49 seconds.

The race was also a Fast Forward final and carried a first prize of $1065.

Compton Bowie is owned by Karen Price in partnership with her husband Tracie who a couple of races earlier had brought up his 100th winner this year at Tara Raceway as a trainer after Canya Feel It defeated Just Johnnie by a length in 23.22 seconds.

Among some of Price’s better days at the local track in the first six months of 2026 had been nine trebles, five meetings with four winners, along with a couple of meetings of five winners thrown in for good measure.

Meanwhile, the Fennell treble kicked off in the Carlin & Gazzard TG5+W Stake (305 m) with Compton Layla leading all the way from box two and eventually running out a three-quarter length winner over Cantara Pearl in 18.00 seconds.

Compton Layla’s dam is eight-race winner Galactic Horizon, a daughter of Paddy Whacker and Galactic Rumball and a litter sister to Galactic Athena, winner of the 2019 Mount Gambier Cup.

Making the trip back to Mount Gambier last week was Ararat-based owner-trainer Paul Hammerstein who was chasing his first win with the well-bred youngster Rose’s Marie, a daughter of Aussie Infrared and Quesna Dee Air.

Following two unplaced runs at Murray Bridge and Horsham, the 30+ kilogram black bitch looked well placed in the Cadillac Racing Maiden Stake (305 m) – a race that turned out to be a four-dog affair.

Although only fairly away, Rose’s Marie quickly put herself into the race when railing through on the turn to take the lead and run away to a 4¾ length win over Pick A Cadillac in a time of 18.13 seconds.

She’s a litter sister to Hammerstein’s white and black 32+ kilogram bitch Exactly Like Dad who has raced on five occasions for four consecutive wins at Healesville, Murray Bridge and Horsham.

PBD TO BE TRIALLED AT TARA RACEWAY IN SEPTEMBER
Preferential Box Draw (PBD) racing is to be trialled at nominated Tara Raceway meetings as from September. This will be based on early racing patterns identified by IsoLynx data.

Put simply, PBD racing seeks to place competing greyhounds into boxes that best suit their racing characteristics (particularly in the early stages of racing) in an effort to improve racing safety outcomes and reduce the risk of injury.

As far as the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club is concerned, PBD racing will be trialled at time-graded race meetings conducted at Tara Raceway on Thursday, September 10 and Thursday, September 24.