Saturday, July 4, 2020

After a treble the previous week at Tara Raceway with Charming Charlie, Tandiki and Spring Cuervo, Compton trainer Tracie Price went one better at Thursday’s meeting.

Not only was his winning trio again successful but Elle Limes, after rounding up the field off the back, was also an emphatic 4½ lengths winner for local owner Bernie Bouchier in the Williams Crane Hire Stake (400 metres) in 23.34 seconds.

Tracie Price pictured with Spring Cuervo, one of four winners for the Compton trainer at Tara Raceway on Thursday.

This was the second time this year that Price had led in four winners at a Tara Raceway meeting – High Fly Dorothy, Vossy, Tandiki and Banjo Bad Boy successful at the track on January 26.

On Thursday it was Tandiki, flying the flag for the Peter Rocket x Headline litter (which had runners in two states) and once again featuring among Price’s multiple winners.

The white and black bitch kicked off the trainer’s big day after finding herself in traffic early from box two before unleashing a strong-finishing burst to defeat a classy Gambier Vets Open field (400 m) in 23.27 seconds.

Charming Charlie, a son of Dyna Double One and The Meadows 725 metres winner Wilma Bale, made the step up to 512 metres, finding the front down the back and holding out Connie’s Entity to win the Produce Store Stake by three-quarters of a length in 30.11 seconds.

And Spring Cuervo once again looked pretty good when leading all the way in the Klaassens Contractors Stake (512 m), defeating Saint Maddie by 4¾ lengths in virtually the same time as the previous week – 29.79 seconds.

Since weekly racing resumed on April 9 at Tara Raceway in its current restricted format due to the border closure, Allendale East trainer David Peckham and Price have dominated racing at the Mount Gambier track.

In that time Peckham, currently leading the Ian Badger Trainer of the Year award with 70 winners, has trained 32 winners and Price 27 (in second spot overall with 46).

Friday, July 3, 2020

Recent Greyhound Racing SA contact made with cross-border trainers, who prior to the COVID-19 border restrictions had raced their greyhounds regularly at Tara Raceway, has been met with a positive response.

GRSA Strategic Projects Manager, Scott Wuchatsch, made the contact via email to more than 50 trainers after Greyhound Racing Victoria introduced additional fortnightly low-grade meetings at Warrnambool.

“We were concerned that these additional meetings could impact on the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club being able to get back to its two weekly meetings (Category 3 on Sundays and time-graded on Thursdays),” he said.

“To be honest, given the heavy support that is required from western Victorian participants to ensure the viability of twice-weekly fixtures at Tara Raceway, we simply do not know how additional racing at Warrnambool will impact on Mount Gambier’s nominations.”

However, Wuchatsch said he believed with non-penalty time-graded meetings on Thursdays, a two-turn track and the finish-on lure there most certainly were some advantages to racing at Tara Raceway.

“So, we asked cross-border participants if they would respond to a couple of questions – Will you return to race at Mount Gambier after interstate border restrictions are lifted? and Will additional racing at Warrnambool (low grade) impact the frequency at which you race at Mount Gambier?”

Wuchatsch’s survey was met with positive replies, such as:

 As soon as the border is re-opened I’ll be back racing in Mount Gambier.
 I look forward to getting back to Mount Gambier as soon as the border re-opens. Probably no reason why trainers couldn’t utilise both tracks if they so desire because there’s still plenty of dogs missing out on a run.
 Yes, we will be back. We like the time-grading system.
 As a trainer from south west Victoria I have greatly missed racing at Tara Raceway. My preference for racing there is the finish-on lure along with distances above 450 metres and the friendly family atmosphere at the Mount Gambier meetings.
 Will certainly be back once the restrictions are lifted. Both on a Thursday and Sunday. I believe the time-grading methodology provides greater opportunity to be competitive.
 No change in my nomination procedure once restrictions are eased, even if Warrnambool is racing twice a week. The main reason is the time-grading methodology and greyhounds being placed in races they can win.
 Mount Gambier is my first choice.
 Low-grade race meetings in Victoria will not deter me from nominating for Mount Gambier.

GRSA CEO Matt Corby’s summation: “Some very encouraging feedback from the cross-border trainers and a credit to the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club.”

Tuesday, June 30, 2020

With Rocketline, Tandiki and High Fly Dorothy all engaged at Tara Raceway on Thursday afternoon, Compton greyhound trainer Tracie Price, who also bred the May 2018 Peter Rocket x Headline litter, looks set for a big day.

Also racing on Thursday is litter brother Falcon Heavy who will go around over 460 metres at Warragul for Pearcedale owner-trainer Lisa Hellmuth.

And that night at Sandown Park, another litter brother in Burn Time, on the back of successive wins at Sandown Park and The Meadows over 595 metres and 600 metres respectively, will contest a heat of the McKenna Memorial (595 m).

Headline pictured two years ago with her Peter Rocket pups.

Burn Time, so far the most successful of the litter, has raced on 17 occasions for seven wins and $21,000 in stakemoney for Hellmuth who also raced the sire and dam in partnership with husband Keith.

Peter Rocket, a winner of 22 races and more than $320,000 in stakemoney, is the dog the Hellmuths picked out as a pup in late 2010 – the son of Where’s Pedro and Belron Blue one of a litter of seven whelped at a neighbouring property.

The Hellmuths bred 16-race winner Headline, a daughter of Barcia Bale x Raya Riot, and boasting a pedigree that traces back to the legendary Hall Of Fame brood bitch Sydney Gem.

Rocketline returns after a 10-week break and while yet to win over 400 metres the black dog doesn’t look too badly placed in the grade six Trackside Meats Stake.

Back in February he set the track alight when defeating subsequent city winner Fabs You Go over 512 metres at Tara Raceway in 29.76 seconds. A fortnight later he came out and defeated another subsequent city winner in Sweet On Me in a heat of the Summer Classic (512 m).

Tandiki faces a tougher test on Thursday in the Gambier Vets Open Stake (400 m) when she attempts to make it three successive wins from an unsuitable box two against proven performers such as Rock It Fernando and Like A Slug.

But the white and black bitch returned to racing after a four-month break with a quick 22.90 seconds 400 metres win a fortnight ago before following up last week with a win over open class performer General Max.

High Fly Dorothy, at her first run in five months, ran Tandiki to 4¼ lengths a fortnight ago when clocking a personal time of 23.19 seconds. She then finished full of running to finish third at Tara Raceway last week behind Saint Tess.

She’ll step up to 512 metres for the first time in her seven-start career when jumping from box three in the Produce Store Stake. But Headline, a middle-distance winner at Sandown Park, The Meadows and Ballarat, appears to have instilled plenty of strength into her Peter Rocket litter.

High Fly Dorothy will step up to 512 metres at Tara Raceway on Thursday.

Headline, who whelped a second litter, this time to My Reedemer last December, currently sits in equal second spot on the Tara Raceway leading brood bitch list with Xylia Allen on 12 wins – Price’s Miss Freelove leading the way with 18 wins.

Meanwhile, Thursday’s numbers at Tara Raceway have been boosted by Lewiston training team Clint, Shelley and Harrison Trengove once again making the long trip down with a team of six.

Victa Jess, a last start second at Angle Park over 388 metres, looks a good chance of kick-starting their day in the Bartholomew Pick 6 Maiden Stake (400 m).

She’s by Cosmic Rumble out of Ron Schadow’s terrific bitch Victa Victoria who went around 134 times for 26 wins and $60,000 in stakemoney – her last win, over 600 metres, coming at five years of age at Angle Park.

And Portland trainer Nicole Stanley, in normal times a Tara Raceway regular, enjoyed a big night at Sandown Park last Sunday when leading in a treble with Midget Rocks ($7.40), Burst The Seam ($6.90) and Aston Prestige ($10.20).

On Tuesday, Ecklin South trainer Peter Fulton, another familiar face unsighted at Tara Raceway since the border closure, took advantage of Warrnambool’s Worst to Best 250+ Ranking meeting with I’m A Burner.

A litter brother to local chasers General Max and Like A Slug, the son of Worm Burner and Miss Hodge at start number 22 opened his winning account at the nice odds of $32.90.

Saturday, June 27, 2020

Former Adelaide-based greyhound Spring Cuervo looks a likely contender for the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club’s forthcoming Anniversary Cup (512 metres) after an impressive win on debut at Tara Raceway last Thursday.

Raced by Nick Papatheodorakis and Ray Prior and now trained at Compton by Tracie Price, Spring Cuervo, after a quick first split of 4.34 seconds, led all the way from box four in the Bourne Kennels Stake (512 m) to defeat West On Tia by three-quarters of a length in a best of day 29.78 seconds.

Spring Cuervo defeats West On Tia at Tara Raceway last Thursday.

For the well-bred son of Kinloch Brae and Spring Grace, who has now raced on 54 occasions for 13 wins and $30,000 in stakemoney, the win was his first since February when he was successful over 515 metres at Angle Park in a best of night 29.67 seconds.

The Anniversary Cup, run continuously since 1984 at Glenburnie and later at Lake Terrace East, is one Mount Gambier feature race that has eluded Price whose last finalist was Lyon Rose in the 2016 cup won by Mojito Mayhem.

West On Tia, who raced in WA until transferring to SA 12 months ago, hasn’t won since last September when successful over 600 metres at Angle Park.

In trainer David Peckham’s Allendale East kennels for most of this year, West On Tia, who has returned to the track after a four month break to run three consecutive seconds at Tara Raceway, is another one that looks a likely contender for the Thursday, July 23 cup meeting.

But owners Tim Aloisi and Matt Lehman may well be looking at the Eric Lewis Memorial (732 m) for their daughter of Bekim Bale x Tearsabout Tears who prior to leaving WA had won two 715 metres staying events at Cannington.

Jason Newman with Connie’s Entity, the first leg of a winning double at Tara Raceway last Thursday.

Price and Peckham shared the training honours on the day, both landing their fifth treble for the year – Price with Charming Charlie, Tandiki and Spring Cuervo and Peckham with Rooster, Rock It Fernando and Double Vision.

And Jason Newman, of Moorak, who trained his first winner, Like A Slug, on June 4, three weeks later landed his first double with Connie’s Entity and Like A Slug who brought up his third win for the month.

Meanwhile, last Thursday’s meeting concluded the first six months of racing at Tara Raceway with the following first in line for the 2020 Tara Trackstar No. 1 (512 m) which is a forthcoming one-off race for the best performed eight greyhounds at the track between January and June.

Squishy Pea (David Peckham) 44 points; Perseverance (Dean Fennell) 42; Rock It Fernando (David Peckham) 31; Dyna Carnie (David Peckham) 30; Rooster (David Peckham), Vossy (Tracie Price) 29; Tandiki (Tracie Price) 28; Akuma Fireball (Andy Graham), Dyna Alistair (David Peckham), Zipping Capri (Richard Clayfield) 27.

Obviously, for a variety of reasons, not all of these will be nominated for the Trackstar but with something like 340 greyhounds having collected points in the first six months there will be no shortage of numbers.

Saturday, June 27, 2020

Rooster, Mount Gambier’s Sunset Community Kitchen ambassador, once again did the right thing by the local charity at Tara Raceway last Thursday when successful in the Winmore Greyhound Kennels Stake (512 m).

Trained locally by David Peckham for Scott Blacksell of Cape Bridgewater, Rooster took up the running from box one turning out of the first bend before going on to a 3¾ lengths win over Rouse Rocket in a personal best time of 30.12 seconds.

Sunset Community Kitchen ambassador Rooster earns another $50 for the local charity.

Returning back with the son of Cosmic Rumble x Manila Express after catching duties was Kevin “KD” Douglas who recently suggested the “Catch for Cash” initiative at Tara Raceway as a means of supporting, in some small way, the Sunset Community Kitchen.

The win was Rooster’s second this month, the black dog assuming the role of Sunset Community Kitchen ambassador after a generous Blacksell pledged $50 for the “Catch for Cash” jar every time he won a race.

Rooster has now won two races in as many weeks. And that’s good news for the people in need who receive meals by way of the Sunset Community Kitchen at Frew Park every Monday and Wednesday evening.

Saturday, June 27, 2020

From The Border Watch of October 26, 1895 comes the report of a coursing match at Penola.

A coursing match was held on Wednesday, October 23 in the Pig-sty Paddock at the rear of the fruit blocks at Katnook, kindly lent for the occasion by Mr Riddoch.

The day was beautifully fine, the hares were strong and numerous, and some good coursing was witnessed. Unfortunately, the ground was very hard; consequently the dogs suffered considerably, some of them wearing the skin off their feet.

In the final course, Mr L. A. Solomon’s black and white dog Pompey beat Mr G. Darwent’s black bitch Venus. The winner received £5 and the runner-up £2.