As far as memorable Mount Gambier Cups go they don’t come much better than the 2019 Fairthorne Forestry sponsored Group Listed event.
That was when Robert Chuck and Steve Bartholomew’s local hope Galactic Athena defeated Robert Camilleri’s high-profile Victorian Slingshot Hammer by a neck in 29.43 seconds.
Run over 512 metres on Sunday, March 31, at the time the Chuck-bred daughter of Paddy Whacker and Galactic Rumball was barely 19 months old. She went into the final with five starts to her name and stake earnings of $3,140.
Slingshot Hammer, on the other hand, was pushing three years of age, had raced on 44 occasions and collected $104,120 in prize money. But reputations counted for nothing that day.
Fast forward to May 2022 and Galactic Athena whelped her first litter – one dog and two bitches by US sire Blazin Wildfire (Dragon Fire x Tin Nee Ann).
Bartholomew and his wife Lee, of Worrolong, retained a dog and bitch – still to race – while Compton-based Chuck kept the bitch that now races as Galactic Artemis.
And she made her debut at Tara Raceway last Sunday in the Hyland Fox Maiden Stake (305 m) when defeating Secret Wishes by three lengths in an impressive 17.69 seconds.
Meanwhile, speaking of Mount Gambier Cup winners, Lewiston trainer Don Turner, accompanied by granddaughter Decota Curran and four greyhounds, made one of his occasional visits down to Mount Gambier at the weekend.
Turner owned Colville, winner of the 2013 Mount Gambier Cup. By Collide out of Pampered and also bred by the owner, the black dog had been sent down to local trainer Allen Williams who celebrated long and hard after the win on Friday, March 15.
It has to be said that it’s not too often Turner goes home without a winner when he does eventually psych himself up to make the long trip down.
And last Sunday was no different when kennelmates Rolling Riot and Information fought out the finish of the finish of the Gordon Refrigeration Stake (512 m).
By Whiskey Riot out of Roxy Rolla – a winner of 10 races, including one at Tara Raceway at the end of January 2017 – Rolling Riot was chasing his third successive win after twice leading all the way over 455 metres at Murray Bridge earlier this month.
Once again the fawn dog turned in an impressive front-running display, bringing up his 10th win when holding out Information – a daughter of Zipping Garth x Lightcry – and scoring by a half-length in the tidy time of 29.80 seconds.
“Both dams are out of the unraced Enlightment – Roxy Rolla being by Cosmic Rumble and Lightcry by Lonesome Cry,” said Turner who currently has 14 greyhounds in work. “Actually, Lightcry was injured early in her career and I kept her specifically for breeding.”
Earlier in the day, Nevada Sally, trained by Turner for his granddaughter, finished third in a heat of the grade six series over 400 metres. That puts her into this Sunday’s final although the trainer is yet to personally commit so soon to another road trip.
From a Williams Crane Hire Christmas Cup point of view, and on the back of a close-up third behind Malevolent Girl in the Newman McDonnell Memorial, Mister Banjo was certainly impressive when winning the Exchange Printers Open Stake (512 m).
Away well from box eight, the son of Zambora Brockie and El Rapido led all the way when defeating last year’s Christmas Cup winner Aston Ziebell by 2½ lengths in a personal best and best of day time of 29.69 seconds.
Raced by a Hamilton-based syndicate and managed locally by Damian Monaghan, Mister Banjo is trained at Compton by Tracie Price who will be chasing his fourth Christmas Cup (512 m) following wins by Who’s Doing What, Fear The Rascal and Golly Gumdrops.
First run in 2011, the Christmas Cup this year will carry prizemoney of $4500. Heats will be run on Sunday, December 10 and the final a week later.