Tuesday, December 11, 2018

After recently taking on some pretty fair fields at Angle Park, Lewiston trainer Don Turner reckoned it was time for a change of scenery for Dynamo Jezz, a greyhound that he had won eight races with at Angle Park, Gawler and Strathalbyn.

Dynamo Jezz scores an easy win in the Trackside Meats Stake (512 m) at Tara Raceway last Sunday.

Down for a recent time-graded meeting, Turner returned on Sunday with the dog that he had purchased from Victoria earlier this year after wins at Shepparton, Warragul and Bendigo.

“To be honest, even though he was still racing well in Adelaide, Dynamo Jezz was on a tough mark so I was hoping that by bringing him down here he might encounter a drop in class although you never know what you might run into when nominating for Mount Gambier,” Turner said.

But if he was looking for a confidence-booster for his dog then that’s what he got. Away well from box eight in the Trackside Meats Stake (512 metres), Dynamo Jezz quickly crossed the grade five field, eventually running out an 8¾ length winner in a near best of the day 29.91 seconds.

Don Turner with Dynamo Jezz.

By the iron dog Stagger – 137 starts for 64 wins – Dynamo Jezz is out of Tinted Power, a winner of 11 races including Sandown Park and The Meadows.

Sunday’s win was Turner’s first at Tara Raceway since February 3, 2017 when Wayne’s Error was successful although four years prior to that he had won the Mount Gambier Cup with Colville, trained for him locally by Allen Williams.

And the following year he reached the cup final with Stew’s Mistake and Poetic Mover, the former running third to Veetee Express.

Dynamo Jezz will next go around tomorrow afternoon over 455 metres at Murray Bridge’s 16-race “picnic” meeting (fields limited to between two to four dogs) which is a dress rehearsal for next Wednesday’s opening meeting.

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Last week wasn’t without its share of drama as far as Edenhope trainer Cap Abbott was concerned. First, a trip to Angle Park on the Monday night turned out to be in vain when lure problems prior to the first race resulted in the meeting being abandoned.

Black Spring was in the money at Sandown Park last week.

Then, on the Thursday night, Abbott, after giving himself what he thought was plenty of time, looked like missing out again when he was caught up in peak hour, bumper-to-bumper traffic on his way to Sandown Park.

“I was no chance of making kennelling in time,” he said. “So I rang the track to let them know of my predicament. It turns out there were other trainers in the same boat so fortunately commonsense prevailed and all our greyhounds were able to race.”

In the end, though, the week didn’t end too badly for Abbott. The Monday night prizemoney for all races at Angle Park was divided between the trainers while Black Spring ran second to Spectre Style over 595 metres at Sandown on Thursday and picked up $1645 in stakemoney.

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Thanks Tubby defeats litters Miss Jacovella and Dee Tee over 600 metres at Tara Raceway in November 2015.

Allendale East breeder David Peckham reports that one-time Tara Raceway 512 metre record holder Thanks Tubby, a winner of 21 races from 64 starts, is to be mated with former SA champion sprinter Worm Burner.

Thanks Tubby, a daughter of Superman x Irish Fantasy, ran a record 29.60 seconds at Tara Raceway on June 1, 2014, a time that stood for three years until the Jeff Guy trained Brazen Bomber recorded 29.55 seconds.

This will be the former long-time record holder’s second litter, youngsters from her first mating to high profile sire Barcia Bale not far away from making their racetrack debut.

Owned by Cameron and Yvonne Butcher of Meningie, the Group 1-winning Worm Burner raced on 84 occasions for 48 wins and more than $380,000 in stakemoney.

Monday, December 10, 2018

The South Eastern Hotel Social Club struck a top day, weather-wise, and a top 11-race card of greyhound racing when venturing out to Tara Raceway on Sunday for its annual Christmas function.

Members of the South Eastern Hotel Social Club pictured with owner Margaret Cryer and Cryer’s Plugger.

The fully catered day included TAB and bar facilities while a playground, face painting and Father Christmas kept the younger brigade amused at the complex which, with its magnificent grassed surroundings, has never looked in better order.

In fact, so successful was the day that the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club would probably be well-advised to consider making an effort to attract other social clubs out to its Lake Terrace East venue for a Sunday afternoon function.

The grade five final over 512 metres took the name of the South Eastern Hotel Social Club Stake, many social club members happy to join owner Margaret Cryer and Cryer’s Plugger for a presentation photograph after the brindle dog’s virtual all the way win in a best of day 29.88 seconds.

Cryer’s Plugger was the middle leg of a treble for Apsley trainer Tom Cryer and his wife Margaret – Cryer’s Bob successful earlier in the day over 600 metres and Cryer’s Harper, a 400 metre winner – the couple’s second successive treble after the same greyhounds had also been successful at last week’s meeting.

Mick Walsh with Lena Lake, winner of the Winmore Greyhound Kennels Stake.

Cryer’s Bob, by Spring Gun x Cryer’s Midget and a litter brother to Cryer’s Plugger, turned in a brilliant performance to lead all the way in the Metal Worx Mixed Stake, eventually running out a nine length winner over a more than handy performer in Noosa Parade in a personal best 35.15 seconds.

And Cryer’s Harper, by Spud Regis and a younger half-sister to the two previous winners, also led all the way in the Gambier Vets Stake, eventually defeating Chilly Kiss – back after a three-month break – by 3¾ lengths in a quick 23.04 seconds.

Bushfield trainer Gary Lane returned to Tara Raceway on Sunday with one of his own breed in Lena Lake – his last winner at the track being Jersey Miss in a maiden 400 metre event on May 22, 2016.

But he has enjoyed his fair share of success over the years at the local track, not the least being with Miss Jacovella, who ran a record 35.08 seconds over 600 metres on August 14, 2015, and with her litter sister Dee Tee who now has pups 10 months old by Dyna Double One.

Resuming after a three-month injury break, Lena Lake is by Pure Octane out of Miss Jacovella, and a winner at Warrnambool and also at The Meadows where she won two races over 600 metres, prior to Lane recently taking over her training for Koroit owner Mick Walsh who purchased her as a four-month-old pup before rearing her.

Lining up from box eight in the Winmore Greyhound Kennels Stake (400 m), the fawn bitch chased Shady Whip until the home turn before finishing strongly for a 2¼ length win in a smart 23.17 seconds.

Miss Jacovella and Dee Tee, a winner of 16 races, are by El Grand Senor out of Mantra Miss, who in 2010 at Tara Raceway ran a 512 metre track record of 29.80 seconds and a record 44.20 seconds over 732 metres for Lane.

Nicole Stanley scored a good win at Warrnambool on Thursday night with Wanchai Express who, after a slow start, took the shortest way home from box two to score in 25.49 seconds for the 450 metre journey.

Nicole Stanley with Dyna Quota after her win in the Produce Store Stake.

And then on Sunday at Tara Raceway she followed up with Dyna Quota, a daughter of Dyna Double One x Jayney Bale, which was having her first start for the Portland trainer.

Jumping from box one in the Produce Store Stake (512 m), the black bitch settled in second spot behind tearaway leader Dad’s Nitro before finishing the stronger in the run to the line, winning by a length in 30.13 seconds.

Dyna Quota, previously a winner at Healesville, Cranbourne and Warragul, is now owned in Victoria by Glen Burns who, according to Stanley, is always on the lookout for a greyhound with ability but one that has fallen foul of stewards due to a racetrack indiscretion.

“In the case of Dyna Quota, in early November she was suspended at Cranbourne for marring,” she said. “Another of his dogs is Sanjiro who went for marring at Nowra in April but last month won at Horsham in 27.16 seconds and more recently was runner-up in a heat of the Ballarat Cup.”

Racing returns to Tara Raceway on Wednesday for a 12-race time-graded meeting prior to the running of the Williams Crane Hire Christmas Cup heats (512 m) and supporting events on Sunday.

Thursday, December 6, 2018

When Faster Bolt lined up for the Williams Crane Hire Stake (400 metres) at last Friday’s time-graded meeting at Tara Raceway it had been for the first time at that track in 14 months.

Back in early October last year, Faster Bolt, raced by Robert Chuck, Jack Peacock, Steve Bartholomew jr. and Ken Gillespie, and trained by the latter, had impressed at only his second start with a 400 metre win in 22.98 seconds – at the time the fastest maiden win recorded at the track.

Faster Bolt . . . in winning form at Tara Raceway last Sunday.

In fact, so impressive was the win that Gillespie and his cohorts quickly got the fawn and white son of Milldean Panther and Galactic Rumball over to Steve Elsum’s Camperdown kennels, hoping to cash in on some of the bigger stakemoney on offer in Victoria.

All told, Faster Bolt won seven races on Victorian provincial tracks, his last win being in February at Warrnambool, before finding his way back to Gillespie’s Mount Gambier kennels in September.

“He just seemed to lose all form and confidence,” Gillespie said. “So we decided to bring him home, give him a good freshen-up and then see how he went at Tara Raceway.”

Faster Bolt was originally a reserve for the Friday meeting but as luck would have it he gained a start from box two – his luck running out, though, in the short-course event when he found early trouble and eventually ran third.

Ken Gillespie (back left), Jack Peacock and Robert Chuck, together with Jackson Saunders, Rowan Cram and Elysia Bartholomew pictured with Faster Bolt.

However, it was a different story a couple of days’ later when he jumped fairly from box one in Sunday’s JB Irrigation Stake (400 m) before railing through on Fairground down the back and running away to a 4¾ length win in 23.19 seconds.

And it was a delighted trainer who, after the win, recalled how the long-time group of owners came to purchase Faster Bolt, a litter brother to Galactic Panther, this year’s Peter Rocket Summer Classic winner and third placegetter in the Mount Gambier Cup.

“Chucky had bred the dog but by eight months of age he was sorely testing his owner-breeder’s patience – refusing to walk on a lead, refusing to have his nails cut – you know, all the things that some young greyhounds get up to.

“Chucky was really struggling with him so in the end we offered to buy the dog and take him off his hands. Fair enough, he did let him go pretty cheaply but he did also hedge his bets a bit by retaining a share in the pup that would later race as Faster Bolt.”

Galactic Rumball’s second – and final – litter was whelped in August 2017 and is by Paddy Whacker.

Thursday, December 6, 2018

Paraphernalia finally found the outright lead in this year’s Mount Gambier Greyhound of the Year award when leading all the way to defeat Hutch by 1¾ lengths in 29.84 seconds in last Sunday’s Greyhound-Data.com Open Stake (512 m).

Paraphernalia defeats Hutch at Tara Raceway last Sunday.

Coming into the meeting the Jeff Guy trained Paraphernalia and Nicole Stanley’s Oh No Beta were level on 56 points, the former picking up another four points when posting his 13th win for the year at Tara Raceway.

But the lead was short-lived when four races later Oh No Beta, after finishing unplaced the previous week, bounced back with an all-the-way win over Lektra Guiseppe in the Winningformula.net.au Open Stake (400 m) in 23.21 seconds.

Both greyhounds now go into Sunday’s meeting on 60 points – Paraphernalia 13 wins, 3 seconds, 2 thirds and Oh No Beta 9, 10, 4.

Stanley is looking well-placed to land her third successive Mount Gambier GOTY title after Old Jock – a similar type of greyhound to Paraphernalia – was successful in 2016 with 71 points and Fiorelli Rose last year with 67.

Oh No Beta, pictured winning at Tara Raceway last Sunday, and drawing level with Paraphernalia in the Greyhound of the Year award.

There are three Category 3 meetings remaining this year at Tara Raceway – December 9, 16 and 21 – for the pair to pick up points. In what has been a terrific battle, surely the best result would be a dead-heat for the two veterans, both with more than 100 starts to their names and a collective win tally of 64.

Paraphernalia’s re-match with Hutch in the JB Irrigation Stake (512 m) on Sunday will be interesting after the pair’s clash last Sunday when the latter was resuming after a two-month injury break.

Hutch should be better for the run, Portland trainer Robert Halliday saying later that he had been very happy with the effort and that the dog appeared to have pulled up well.