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.