Thursday, April 25, 2019

No, the headline shouldn’t read paltry pair because as the story goes it was John Burow who had decided to give the dishlickers away and use his two greyhound runs in his Penshurst backyard for chooks and ducks.

John Burow was all smiles after United Lass was a first-up winner at Tara Raceway last Sunday.

That never happened, of course, Burow not really your poultry farmer type. He did compromise, though, purchasing a couple of four-month-old pups for the yards and calling them Chooks and Ducks.

The first purchase, bred at Dennington by Ray Drew, was a May 2017 black bitch by Banjo Boy out of Maisy Mac, a winner of nine Victorian provincial races and boasting Zambora Brockie – 31 wins and $540,000 in stakemoney – as a litter brother.

But Burow soon realised that he would need another pup of similar age to rear with his $2000 purchase, opting for an SA-bred daughter of Fabregas and Kaos Chloe which West Richmond breeder Adam Burda was advertising for $800.

The Maisy Mac pup (Chooks) made her debut as United Lass at Tara Raceway last Sunday in the Laser Electrical Maiden Stake (400 metres), matching motors early with Shock Horror before running out a 1½ length winner in 23.75 seconds.

Forwarded to John Burow by Portland trainer Nicole Stanley after United Lass (Chooks) won at Tara Raceway on Sunday.

And it was a pretty fair effort considering she was having her first run in a field, Burow quick to hand out plenty of credit to Portland trainer Nifty Lenehan.

“To be honest, Chooks wasn’t chasing all that keenly earlier in her preparation and that’s when Nifty stepped in and said he would get her going. Three months later she was back in Penshurst, ready to go.”

Ducks, who now races as Miss Adelaide and opened her winning account back in February at Tara Raceway over 400 metres, also raced last Sunday and showed marked improvement over 512 metres with a run of 30.43 seconds when finishing second to Dare To Do.

Thursday, April 25, 2019

BRENDAN BUNWORTH, a greyhound trainer and former Hamilton Spectator sports journalist, stepped in to cover last week’s win of Rebel Ruth, owned and trained by David Lewis, The Border Watch greyhound correspondent.

It was a popular win by Rebel Ruth in the Fairthorne Forestry Maiden Stake (512 metres) to start proceedings at Mount Gambier’s time-graded meeting at Tara Raceway.

After several recent solid placings, the daughter of Destini Fireball and Lektra Angie had been knocking on the door for her first victory with punters believing this would be the day for the fawn bitch – a $1.60 favourite.

Rebel Ruth pictured winning at Tara Raceway last week.

Lining up for her 11th start, she was away fairly from box four before powering away at the 200 metre mark, eventually running out a 10¼ length winner in 30.86 seconds and giving the litter its second win in as many days after Lektra Fireball had won at Horsham.

For Lewis, who purchased Rebel Ruth as a pup, the long wait and the long morning walks in the pines had finally paid off.

“She was four-months-old when I picked her up from Toolong breeder Phil Lenehan and from there she spent several months out at Compton with Tracie and Karen Price before I brought her home at 10 months of age.

“She’s been walking in the pines every morning since – with the exception of when she was away being broken-in by Peter Byrne and Dustin Drew at Koroit – and enjoys galloping on a regular basis at the Tara Raceway slipping track which has been a real boon to the local ‘back-yard trainers’.”

With Lewis pretty well committed on race days at Tara Raceway, it’s been left to Richard Clayfield and Michael Robinson – that trio’s association going back to the Glenburnie days of greyhound racing – to box and catch Rebel Ruth.

Robinson describes her as the people’s dog, generating a popular on-course following and with plenty of “co-trainers” ready to offer the one-dog trainer a few tips on how Rebel Ruth could further be improved.

And then there’s Serviceton owner Val Brodhurst – enjoying success again last Sunday when Dare To Do won her fourth race this year at Tara Raceway.

“I fell in love with Rebel Ruth the first time I saw her arrive at Tara Raceway, perched up on the back seat of her trainer’s little car. She’s a real sweetie and I’d love to take her home.”

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Slipper’s Kin’s win at Tara Raceway on Sunday in the Fairthorne Forestry Stake (400 metres), despite being a while coming, continued Glenroy greyhound trainer Richard Clayfield’s long-time successful association with McLaren Vale breeder-owner Barry Jones and his “Slipper” dogs.

Slipper’s Kin opens her Tara Raceway winning account at Tara Raceway last Sunday when defeating Flash Sox.

By Swift Fancy out of Slipper’s Tonic, the black bitch had arrived in the Coonawarra in February after a couple of 388 metre wins at Angle Park, Clayfield previously having won five races at Tara Raceway with her litter sister Slipper’s Away.

When Slipper’s Kin lined up from box four in Sunday’s grade six event she’d been around the local track seven times previously for six minor placings, her trainer by then perhaps questioning whether she was one of those professional placegetters.

But this was going to be her day – and Clayfield’s also as it turned out later – when she led all the way to defeat Flash Sox by three-quarters of a length in 23.65 seconds and give the experienced trainer his 46th “Slipper” winner.

Back in early 2014 Clayfield and Jones hadn’t known each other, the latter ringing another local trainer to see if he would be interested in training a couple of his dogs.

“It turns out that at the time the trainer’s kennels were full so he suggested Barry give me a ring to see whether I was interested,” Clayfield said.

Soon after Slipper’s Might and Slipper’s Will arrived, perhaps hanging on the coattails of their illustrious litter brother Ernie Bung Arrow, an SA Derby and Adelaide Cup winner.

For all that, though, Slipper’s Might won nine races at Tara Raceway and was the first dog to break the 23-second barrier for the 400 metre journey while Slipper’s Will was a 10-race winner.

They were by Lochinvar Marlow out of Slipper’s Tonic – a bitch that ran four minor placings from her only seven starts – with the litter also including the more than handy Woodnear, a winner of 25 races and $72,000 in stakemoney.

Others to later find their way to Glenroy included Slipper’s Shadow, Slipper’s Belle and Slipper’s Chance.

Big Casey (No. 2) and Lone Star (No. 1) dead-heat in the Easter Gift last Sunday while Bomber Creek was a close-up third.

Meanwhile, Sunday’s Easter Gift (512 m) appeared to be a good race on paper – and it didn’t disappoint.

Clayfield’s Lone Star was well drawn in box one while Edenhope trainer Cap Abbott was looking to make amends with Big Casey after Black Spring earlier had run second to the record-breaking Pirate’s Curse in the Easter Challenge (600 m).

And when Big Casey took the lead down the back straight from Lone Star it appeared as though the recent Mount Gambier Cup finalist was set to open his 2019 winning account at Tara Raceway.

But in the run home, Lone Star found plenty along the rails, 18-year-old Lachlan Stace, who was calling his first full race meeting, giving the nod by the narrowest of margins to the Clayfield runner over Big Casey.

Richard Clayfield and Kerry Hawker with Easter Gift dead-heaters Lone Star and Big Casey.

In the end, though, a dead-heat was declared, the Peter Crawley trained Bomber Creek making Stace’s job even more difficult when also storming home to be beaten a neck in third position.

By Lonesome Cry out of Up And Away, Lone Star, who won two races last year after missing the first six months due to injury, has now been successful four times this year and currently sits in second spot behind Cryer’s Plugger on the Greyhound of the Year leader board.

Lone Star is a half-brother to the Clayfield-trained Upset Boy who also figured in a dead-heat, back in 2015 in the Iron Dog final (600 m) with Boolite Bruiser.

Big Casey, a sizeable son of My Bro Fabio and Book Of Days, has now won five races at Angle Park and Mount Gambier since joining Abbott’s kennels in November last year.

Litter brother Bad Ronnie won at Wentworth Park over 520 metres last week while litter sister Book Of Luck was a finalist in last Saturday night’s Group 1 NSW GBOTA Association Cup (720 m) at Wentworth Park. Both greyhounds are trained at Ballalaba by Craig Sheridan who races Big Casey in partnership with John Dihm.

Black Spring and Big Casey will now clash tomorrow night in a Mixed 4/5 stake (485 m) at Horsham.

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Owner Karen Price pictured with Banjo Lass after her best of day Ivor Dowdell Memorial heat win.

Local trainers Dean Fennell, John Little and Monty Wilson, each with two finalists, look to hold a strong hand in Sunday’s Ivor Dowdell Memorial (400 m) at Tara Raceway.

John Little and Liz Newberry with Springvale Alysa, winner of the second heat of the Ivor Dowdell Memorial.

The Fennell-trained Banjo Lass, who last won at Tara Raceway in early January, found winning form again when leading all the way in the first heat, beating Wilson’s Bushman’s Mate by 3½ lengths in 23.14 seconds.

And Little’s Springvale Alysa also led all the way in the second heat to defeat Fennell’s Banjo Bad Boy – this year’s Summer Classic winner – by 1½ lengths in 23.17 seconds.

Little also has Yappy Allen in the final and Wilson will also be represented by Bushman’s Bro – both of his “Bushmen” running good races – while the other finalists are Dyna Naitch (David Peckham) and Cryer’s Jed (Tom Cryer).

Monday, April 22, 2019

Allendale East greyhound Pirate’s Curse, after a trip to Adelaide’s Angle Park on Thursday when running a 1½ length third over 731 metres, backed up with a record-breaking win in Sunday’s Easter Challenge (600 m) at Tara Raceway.

As a rule, a greyhound with no early pace, the 35 kilogram son of Bekim Bale and Walkaway Jackie was never going to be beaten after going straight to the front from box one, in the end the solidly-backed favourite Black Spring doing well to run the leader to 3¾ lengths.

Pirate’s Curse crosses the finish line in track record time.

Especially after the posting of Pirate’s Curse’s track record winning time of 34.79 seconds which lowered McIvor Verna’s 34.84 seconds run on June 18, 2017, that record eclipsing Paraphernalia’s 34.97 seconds run only the week prior.

Pirate’s Curse, who joined David Peckham’s kennels in February, has now raced on nine occasions for the leading local trainer for three 600 metre wins at Tara Raceway, the track record Peckham’s second over the distance and third overall.

Striking Viking was the inaugural 600 metre record holder after a run on November 30, 2014 of 35.38 seconds which stood until March 8 the following year when Cheap Currency lowered the record to 35.11 seconds.

Incidentally, Striking Viking is the dam of Flash Jackie, who continued her promising form with a win in the South Eastern Hotel Stake (512 m), the final race on Sunday and the third leg of a treble for Peckham after Kolora Posie had also won earlier in the day.

Striking Viking’s litter sister Thanks Tubby, also trained by Peckham, ran a 29.60 seconds track record over the 512 metre journey on June 1, 2014. This time stood until June 11, 2017 when Brazen Bomber ran 29.55 seconds.

Trainer David Peckham was all smiles after Pirate’s Curse won Sunday’s Easter Challenge (600 m) at Tara Raceway in track record time of 34.79 seconds.

Pirate’s Curse is raced by leading Adelaide owners Tim Aloisi and Matt Lehman together with Damien Bates and Michael McSorley who purchased the NSW-bred dog from New Zealand, winning three races over 731 metres at Angle Park prior to the transfer to the South-East.

And it turned out to be an outstanding few days for the syndicate members – Honcho Monelli winning the Eastar Match Race Series at Angle Park on Thursday night while Waterloo Monelli won the Easter Cup (600 m).

Also on the Thursday night, Shima Mart was successful at Angle Park while Rajasthan won at Sandown Park.

Peckham said Pirate’s Curse was now likely to tackle the Bayroad Queen Stayers Cup (731 m), heats of which will be run at Angle Park on Thursday, May 2 with the $7000 final a week later.

Raced by Moonta Bay couple Merv and Glenys Pedler, Bayroad Queen, a daughter of Tegimi and Village Swallow, won the 1982 National Distance Championship and also the NSW Association Cup at Harold Park in the same year.

It was greyhounds such as Bayroad Queen who were responsible for the crowds flocking to Angle Park on a Thursday night back in the early 1980s.

Monday, April 22, 2019

Long-time trainer Paul Teuma, who regularly makes the two-hour trip across to Mount Gambier for Tara Raceway’s time-graded meetings, finally broke through last Wednesday with his giveaway greyhound Oemi Allen in the Trackside Meats Stake (512 metres).

Paul Teuma pictured with Oemi Allen after her first win in more than two years.

And it wasn’t a bad effort, either, the light fawn bitch last early but gaining a rails run going out of the first turn then railing through on the leader Trammel down the back straight before running away to a 7¼ length win over Stella Story in 30.61 seconds.

Teuma picked up the daughter of Dyna Nalin and five-time The Meadows winner Ferrari Bale from NSW in October 2017 after she had previously won her first race at Geelong over 400 metres in the January of that year.

A second-placing behind her litter brother Allen Paul at her second start for Teuma at Tara Raceway over 400 metres in December 2017 had him confident that her second win wasn’t too far away.

But as it turned out, Oemi Allen’s second win, and her first for Teuma, the January 2015 whelping’s fourth trainer, would be a long time coming – close to 2½ years in fact.

“The day certainly ended better than it started,” said Teuma, involved in the sport for more than 50 years. “And it was a great relief to finally win a race with Oemi Allen after a constant battle with injuries as well as having to deal with seasonal issues.”

Last Wednesday’s win by Oemi Allen, a half-sister to Yappy Allen – a winner of three races at Tara Raceway this year – was the Winslow trainer’s first at Tara Raceway since January when Chelsea Road was successful over the 400 metre journey.

Thursday, April 18, 2019

For Brendan Bunworth – back in the game after a break of more than four years – Wednesday’s win by Five Times Table in the Produce Store Stake (400 metres) at Tara Raceway gave the Penshurst trainer his third individual success at the track this year.

Purchased from Lake Bolac owner Kevin Breen in February after having won three races at Geelong and Bendigo, Five Times Table gave first-time owners, the 10-member Basstaccms Syndicate of Casterton their first winner.

Damien Gill (left), Brendan Bunworth, Neale Guthrie, Tubby Harvey and young Luke Bunworth, 4, pictured with Five Times Table after her Tara Raceway win on Wednesday.

“I had been formerly based at Casterton so when they saw where I was training greyhounds again they were constantly on the phone to see whether I could find a dog for them and wanted me to train it,” Bunworth said.

“I told the boys it could take a few months to find what we were looking for but really all they wanted was a dog to race as quickly as possible so when Five Times Table came on the market they were happy to settle for him even though he is a short-courser.”

Not that there was too much wrong with Five Times Table’s breeding, his sire being the Irish-bred Makeshift and the dam Chasin The Dream who in an earlier litter by Barcia Bale had produced Dublin Bull, a winner of 21 races, including the Group 2 Summer Distance Plate (720 m) at Wentworth Park, for stakemoney of $156,000.

After five starts for Bunworth, which had resulted in three minor placings, the black dog lined up from box eight on Wednesday as a solid $4.80 second favourite behind Lucy’s Quest who was having her first start at the track for leading trainer David Peckham.

But it was Five Times Table who quickly found the front and eventually held out Lucy’s Quest – a daughter of the Group-winning stayer Lucy Wires who incidentally finished her career at Tara Raceway back in 2014 with a second behind Manila Express over 600 metres – to win by a neck in 23.79 seconds.

For Damien Gill, Neale Guthrie and Tubby Harvey – three members of the Basstaccms Syndicate who were on course – this was a win they won’t forget in a hurry.

And for Bunworth, it was a case of the winners continuing to multiply, Five Times Table now joining Jimary Siesta and Our Gal Livy in what has been a satisfying return to the sport for the 35-year-old teacher’s aide.