From January next year, Emily McKinnon, currently a steward with the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club, as well as involved with Racing Integrity and Animal Welfare, will adopt the fresh start effect.

Not only will the 27-year-old Strathdownie-based McKinnon marry Luke Sinclair, a truck driver and mustering contractor, but she will take on the role of head steward at Mount Gambier’s Tara Raceway track.

Formerly a veterinary nurse with Limestone Coast Vets in Mount Gambier, McKinnon’s initial involvement with local greyhound racing came about after she took on a two days a week casual position as a steward.

“Later, at the end of August, I was fortunate enough to gain a full-time position which included stewarding, Racing Integrity and Animal Welfare,” she said.

McKinnon was not altogether a stranger to greyhound racing given her mother-in-law Paula Sinclair and father John Corrigan had raced greyhounds in NSW and Queensland.

“One of their better greyhounds had been Uno Nangar who won 19 races and close to $150,000 in prize money.”

McKinnon said her time at Tara Raceway now included two race days a week as well as a trial day and visits to local trainers’ kennels.

“I am really enjoying my involvement in greyhound racing and look forward to catching up with more of the local greyhound fraternity after settling into the new role next year.”

Maiden quinella for littermates

Princetown owner-trainer April Janssen’s involvement with legendary Mepunga breeder Barry Smith goes back to a greyhound called Swift Gift who apparently had been a little suspect over any distance further than 450 metres.

But by the time the daughter of Aston Rupee and Mepunga Bella was retired last month she had won 13 races up to 512 metres for Janssen and more than $30,000 in prize money.

And while all this was going on, Smith had also given her a three-month-old litter brother and sister by Plaintiff out of Osprey Rose who won 17 races and $73,000 in prize money.

They were to be raced by Smith’s wife Andrea in partnership with Janssen who reared the littermates and then broke-in the black dog and black bitch at Peter Byrne’s education track at Koroit.

At last Thursday’s time-graded meeting at Tara Raceway, the dog – now known as Affray – lined up from box three for his third start following a third placing at the local track and a fourth at Warrnambool.

As it turned out, his litter sister Brass Band was having her first start in the same race, the Trackside Pet Meats Maiden Stake (305 m), from box five.

And the littermates virtually fought out the race after Affray took up the early running from his sister before going on to a 1¾ length win in 18.02 seconds.

Meanwhile, veteran chaser Cadillac Landau, whose 116 starts have all been at Tara Raceway, brought up her 20th win in the Collins Court Butcher TG5+W Stake (305 m).

Owned and trained at Edenhope by Kerry Hawker, Cadillac Landau – the rank outsider at $13 – quickly found the front from box five before running out a 1½ length winner over Aston Ramona in 18.22 seconds.

By Premier Fantasy out of Pamela Rocks, Cadillac Landau’s win – her first since March – also brought with it a $50 Collins Court Butcher voucher for Hawker.

Another winner on the day with 100+ starts to her name was the Noel Perry owned and trained Rough Girl Slim who brought up her 11th win in the Federal Hotel TG5+W Stake (400 m).

Leading all the way from box one, the daughter of My Redeemer and Vossy scored a 3¼ length win over Magic Nancy in 23.29 seconds.

Also on track to enjoy the win was Perry’s daughter Nicola who answers to the name of Slim and who Rough Girl Slim had been named after.

And former Tara Raceway track record holder Giant’s Flash’s mating with Spot On Cinta produced a double for the Price family following wins by Cinta’s Gold and Flash Marshall.

Cinta’s Gold, a $15 chance, defied her odds when scoring a dominant 4¼ length win in the Icon Signs TG1-4W Stake (400 m) over What Odds Billy in 23.10 seconds.

Then, later in the day, Flash Marshall and Pickle Head matched motors throughout in the Produce Store TG1-4W Stake (305 m) with the former scoring a head win in 17.98 seconds.

Incidentally, Spot On Cinta is daughter of Black Magic Opal and Cintiarna who won 23 races and $285,000 in prize money.

Locally-based Robert Stafford and his wife Janet are a couple of the better known regulars at the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club’s Thursday and Sunday greyhound racing meetings at Tara Raceway.

In fact, such is their regularity at the track that they even have their own reserved table situated in a prime spot in the clubrooms.

He’s also a member of the Tara Tipsters who support local charities by way of ongoing tipping competitions. And he can actually lay claim to having finished in first place in one of the charity-based competitions.

Then there’s the weekly Sunday afternoon Pick 6 competition. Free to on-course patrons, the Pick 6 requires contestants to select the winners of races three through to eight.

Sponsored by Karen and Tracie Price of Trackside Pet Meats, the Pick 6 starts off at $100 and is capped at $500.

The last time the Pick 6 had been won was on April 13 last year when Kevin Douglas, running a week late, picked up $100 after selecting the six winners.

The previous week, Kevin Patzel had collected $500 after Way Cool, Muster, Royal Nangar, Minnie’s My Mum, Mikaela’s Joy and Aston Gozo won the designated races.

Stafford had been unsuccessfully submitting Pick 6 entry forms for as long as he has been attending the greyhound meetings on Lake Terrace East. But last Sunday things took a turn for the better.

His first leg got off to a shaky start after Slippery Gypsy won the Metal Worx Stake (305 m) by a head. Still, it won and Stafford was still “alive”.

Then Trackside Tim won the Trackside Pet Meats Pick 6 Stake (305 m) and Huntsman followed up with a win in the Williams Crane Hire Open Stake (305 m).

So, three races down and Stafford had selected three winners. Mind you, there had been many Sunday afternoons that he had still been in the running at the half-way mark.

Divine Poppy then won the Federal Hotel Stake (400 m) and Rock It Roger’s win in the Klaassens Contractors Mixed Stake (400 m) had Stafford as the only remaining “live” Pick 6 contestant.

Favourite for the final leg, the Ontrack Insider Mixed Stake (512 m), was Compton Ava. But Stafford opted for the second favourite in Kia Keeping – a winner at Tara Raceway over all five distances for Hamilton team Lorraine Goodwin and her son Kyle.

And after the daughter of Fernando Bale and Ruby Keeping quickly took up the running from box three, Stafford struggled to contain his excitement given that Kia Keeping was always going to take running down.

As it turned out, that never happened. The further they went, the further the black bitch extended her lead – eight lengths on the line in a time of 29.53 seconds.

So with the Pick 6 having finally been won again, the jackpot has reverted to $100. To be added to the jackpot will be $10 a week until the pool reaches $500 or is won in the meantime.

Meanwhile, Shade Of Pale, owned and trained at Camperdown by Vito Inguanti, was back at Tara Raceway last Sunday with Shade Of Pale for the Greyhoundtips.com.au Mixed Stake (600 m). Previously he had raced at the local track in an Anniversary Cup heat (512 m) back in July.

A winner back in August over 600 metres at The Meadows, the son of Photo Man and Miss Energiser looked well suited in the Mixed Stake for grades 4, 5 and 6 greyhounds.

Always on the pace from box six, the white and black dog brought up his eighth win from 42 starts after finishing strongly to score by 1¾ lengths over Belair Brindle in 35.24 seconds.

Handling Shade Of Pale last Sunday was Michael Mitchell who regularly makes the trip over to Tara Raceway with Inguanti owned and trained greyhounds.

And Galactic Nemesis, trained at Finniss by Lauren Harris for Mount Gambier owner Robert Chuck, on Monday night won her way through to this Sunday night’s Peter Kittle Toyota Gawler Cup final (531 m).

Leading all the way from box two, the white and brindle daughter of Blue Moon Rising and Galactic Athena defeated Boracay Bella by 2½ lengths in 30.83 seconds. The win took her race record to 25 wins and $70,000 in prize money.

The win was part of a huge night for Harris who also has Lamia Nonna Mim, Victa Graham and Victa Krev through to the $50,000 Group 3 final.