Making the trip over to Mount Gambier for last Sunday’s meeting at Tara Raceway was Dennington-based Aimee Drew – with first starter Winslow Wish and several greyhounds in brother Dustin’s name.

Initially she also had Aston Ciarra sitting up in box one in the first race, Todd’s Photographics Maiden Stake over 512 metres. On the reserve bench were Aston Botan, trained by Dustin, and Rosalyn Hume’s Super Sequin.

But after Aston Ciarra was scratched due to injury it had been a case of Aston Botan taking his place in box one. No draw required here for the coveted alley given that Super Sequin had raced the previous night at Horsham.

Aston Botan went into the race on the back of four race starts for one third at Warrnambool. The son of Fernando Bale and Aston Mirage also went into the race as a very short $1.33 favourite – over the odds as it turned out.

And the result was certainly never in any doubt after the brindle dog recorded a 14 length win over My Girl Nahlah in a quick maiden time of 29.98 seconds.

Winslow Wish had little luck when running fourth in the Greg Martlew Autos Maiden Stake (305 m) which was won by Jaja Ding Dong – named after the song from the 2020 Netflix film Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga – and trained by the in-form Lorraine Goodwin of Hamilton.

The Drew family wrapped up their day with a double after another very short favourite in Aston Hornet turned in an outstanding effort in the Winning Post Supplies Mixed Stake (600 m).

Finding the front going out of the home straight the first time, the son of Fernando Bale and Aston Crystal – a Meadows winner in July – never looked like losing when defeating Moonlight Annie by 6½ lengths in a quick 34.95 seconds.

And Goodwin was back among the winners again in race 12, the Federal Hotel Mixed Stake (512 m), when Starlight Jewel led all the way and defeated a determined Saint Raine by 1½ lengths in a personal best time of 29.79 seconds.

Meanwhile, taking in racing at Tara Raceway for the first time were Tasmanian greyhound followers Neil Brazendale of Bruny Island and Mark Cartledge of Launceston.

“We’re over here for the Adelaide Cup Carnival at Angle Park,” said Brazendale. “We’re regular visitors to the Cup and with Mount Gambier the only greyhound track we hadn’t attended in SA we decided to come and check it out.

“I have to say, this is a really nice set-up you have here and we’re certainly glad we took the time to come down and see it for ourselves.”

Among the 21 senior track maintenance staff attending last week’s first of 18 modules of a Certificate III in Racing Services course at Sandown Park in Victoria were Tim Manterfield of the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club and Aaron Blake of Bendigo.

And the pair, looking resplendent in their bright red Sandown Park caps which came with the course, caught up again at last Sunday’s Tara Raceway meeting in Mount Gambier.

Manterfield was driving the lure for the 12-race program while Blake, assistant curator for more than seven years at the Bendigo Greyhound Racing Club, also trains greyhounds and had My Girl Nahlah, Tenten, Black Jester and My Girl Kellie engaged.

The first of the modules covered the handling of greyhounds and first aid procedures. The next module will concentrate on communication. All told, four forums will be conducted in Victoria over the next 12 months.

Other topics to be covered in the modules include operation of specialised machinery and equipment, tractor operation, maintaining track surfaces for racing, relating animal welfare to track and environmental conditions, providing emergency animal assistance and workplace safety.

Manterfield said the course attendees, who are from all over Australia, also spend an hour a week online working through course booklets.

“This is the second year of the course and it’s covering all aspects of greyhound racing,” he said. “I believe this is a really good concept and by the time the course has been completed we will have a much broader knowledge of greyhound racing.”