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.