It’s fair to say Bourne Model and Apilla have both come a long way since that Sunday afternoon back in August last year when the pair fought out the age-restricted Cadillac Racing Winter Classic (512 metres) at Tara Raceway.

Bourne Model, a daughter of Feral Franky and Sweet On Me, was having only her fifth race start for Allendale East trainer David Peckham who also managed the Bourne Team Syndicate, owners at the time of the pint-sized black bitch.

And Apilla, owned by Cameron and Yvonne Butcher of Meningie and trained at Murray Bridge by Damien Smith, was racing on the Mount Gambier track for the first time – given the classic had been a one-off race with no heats conducted.

The Winter Classic, which disappointingly ended up with only four runners, still carried prize money of $6,675. And it was Bourne Model who led all the way for a three length win over Apilla in 29.91 seconds.

Fast forward to last month and Smith had Apilla at Wentworth Park in NSW for the heats of the Association Cup (720 m). A heat win then resulted in the daughter of My Redeemer and Rosie Red making the long trip back to NSW the following week for the Group 1 final.

It turned out to be a worthwhile trip after she defeated Max Capacity by 6¼ lengths in the $75,000 to the winner Association Cup final and joined legendary SA stayers Ascapella Miss and Bayroad Queen on the honour board.

Earlier this month Peckham was at Sandown Park in Victoria with Bourne Model for a heat – which she duly won – of the Sapphire Crown (515 m), a Group 1 event for the best 32 bitches nominated.

Last week he was back at Sandown Park, well satisfied that his “pocket rocket” had drawn the coveted box one in the $75,000 to the winner final.

And the Peckham owned and trained Bourne Model took full advantage of the draw, leading all the way for a 1¼ length win over Lakeview Emily in 29.29 seconds.

The 2025 Winter Classic will be replaced by the Spring Classic and run later in the year. But perhaps in some small way the age-restricted event with a 10-year history can still lay claim to having nurtured a couple of future Group 1 winners.

All told, Apilla has now accumulated $144,735 in prize money and Bourne Model $111,510.

Meanwhile, Smith was back at Tara Raceway last Sunday for the first time since Masani Girl had run third in a heat of the Mount Gambier Cup back on March 30.

Apilla’s litter sister Wilpena, who is raced in the same interests, impressed when leading all the way from box four in the Commercial Hotel Stake (400 m) and defeating Federal Tiger by six lengths in 22.92 seconds.

Then it was litter brother Jabuk, also raced in the same interests, who led all the way in the Trackside Pet Meats Pick 6 Stake (400 m) and defeated Harry Chana by 4½ lengths in 22.79 seconds.

Smith brought up a treble for the day in the final race, the Produce Store Stake (400 m), after Masani Girl led all the way from box two and defeated My Lady Panama by 4¼ lengths in a quick 22.66 seconds.

Earlier in the day, Moscow Chick, a well-bred daughter of Fernando Bale and Mallee Dreamer, ran a one length third behind Littlefoot and Vixen Force in 30.11 seconds in the second heat of the Riding for the Disabled (RDA) Stake (512 m

Owned by Smith and his Reynella-based father Ross, who also trains the brindle bitch, Moscow Chick is through to the grade six final. The race is sponsored by the club-based Tara Tipsters charity which will make a donation to the RDA at the conclusion of the race.

It’s marvellous what a decent box draw and a run on the track can make to a greyhound’s chances in a Group 1 final.

Just ask Allendale East owner-trainer David Peckham whose career reached new heights at Sandown Park on Thursday night with a greyhound called Bourne Model.

It’s not that the 50-year-old son of former Mount Gambier leading trainer Allen Peckham hadn’t been successful in his own right over a number of years – leading Mount Gambier trainer in 2012-2014 and in 2019-2021, complemented along the way with numerous feature race wins.

At her first start at Sandown Park the previous week, Bourne Model had overcome box six and reached the Sapphire Crown final (515 metres). Fair enough, there were quicker qualifiers in the bitches-only final but it was the Peckham-trained Bourne Model who had drawn box one.

“I reckon I analysed the final a 100 times leading up to Thursday night,” he said. “I was hoping that perhaps Dashing Slay would stay out in the middle of the track and Tammy (Bourne Model) could find the lead around the first turn and take her chances from there.

“But this had been a good field and her heat time compared to Dashing Slay and Lakeview Emily meant that she would have to find a bit. So it was fingers crossed and as long as she made it around safely a first four finish would be icing on the cake.”

However, $13 chance Bourne Model did more than ice the cake. Leading all the way, the daughter of Feral Franky and Sweet On Me collected $75,000 and took her prize money earnings to $111,510 when defeating Lakeview Emily by 1¼ lengths in 29.29 seconds.

“I have to say, last night was surreal and I was in a state of disbelief,” Peckham said. “But come this morning and when I awoke and saw the rug and crown sitting there I realised it wasn’t a dream. No, Tammy had made the dream come true by winning a Group 1 in Melbourne.”

Sweet On Me, a daughter of Barcia Bale and Call Me Gee, had been purchased jointly from Warrnambool breeder-owner Noel Mugavin by Peckham and the Nineofus Syndicate after she had fallen at her first race start at Sandown Park in September 2019.

Following relocation to Allendale East, early the following year she won the Summer Classic at Tara Raceway and by the time she was retired in October 2021 she had won 21 races at Mount Gambier, Angle Park, Murray Bridge and Gawler.

Sweet On Me’s first litter, by US sire Superior Panama, has produced some handy types in Bourne Sarah, Bourne Sid, Captain Rosie and Mocambora Mia. But it is her second litter, whelped in September 2022 and by Feral Franky, that now boasts Group 1 status.

Further reflecting on Bourne Model’s all the way win on Thursday night, Peckham said he had been hoping there wasn’t going to be a repeat of the last time he had a runner engaged in a Group 1 event at Sandown Park.

“I still remember the night – June 30, 2001 – and Connie Miller and I had Bourne A Delight, who was trained in Victoria by Graeme Bate, engaged in the Laurels final. She turned for home in front but ended up running a half-length second to Hail A Harley.”

Peckham is now weighing up his options in relation to the placement of Bourne Model from a racing point of view and is looking to map out a program for her.

“I’m pretty keen on Queensland’s Winter Racing Carnival which looks to have plenty to offer,” he said. “That then would entail placing her with a trainer up north or taking her there myself.”

Meanwhile, Peckham made a point of acknowledging the assistance of his team, past and present, and the hard yards they put in at Bourne Kennels.

“Good dogs make the hard yards worth it as we in the industry know only too well,” said the trainer who has come a fair way since that first winner, Magic Bundy, out at Glenburnie back in 1992.

And the journey’s not over yet.

Actually, Thursday turned out to be a pretty good day for Peckham’s Bourne Kennels with Andrew Earl left to hold the fort at Tara Raceway. He duly led in three winners in the form of Aston Azul, Bourne Sarah and Federal Tiger.

Photos: courtesy Jason McKeown Photography.

The win of Galactic Nemesis in last Sunday’s Cadillac Racing Autumn Classic (512 metres) at Tara Raceway continued Compton owner Robert Chuck’s successful run in feature events over the past 10 years.

It was back in 2015 at Angle Park where the Dave Geall trained Galactic Viper won the Group 3 Howard Ashton SA-bred Special Event for Chuck, who bred and owned the son of Velocette x Magic Elite.

And Magic Elite, who won six races over 512 metres at Tara Raceway between 2008 and 2009, was by Elite State out of Killarney Magic – a line that also appears in Galactic Nemesis’s pedigree.

It’s also a line that appeared in Galactic Panther’s pedigree. By Milldean Panther out of Galactic Rumball, the Panther’s clashes with Dynamite Danger in the 2018 Summer Classic were really memorable.

Trained at Worrolong by Steve Bartholomew for Chuck, only a nostril separated the pair in a heat of the classic, with Dynamite Danger gaining the decision.

But in the final a week later the decision went the other way with about the same margin between the pair in a time of 29.97 seconds.

Then in 2019 Galactic Panther’s half-sister Galactic Athena, also trained by Bartholomew for Chuck, made it through to the final of the Mount Gambier Cup at only her sixth race start and at 18 months of age.

This was one of the great Mount Gambier Cups with the daughter of Paddy Whacker defeating race favourite Slingshot Hammer by a half-length in 29.43 seconds.

Last Sunday’s Cadillac Racing Autumn Classic has replaced the Summer Classic which was first run in 2015. The age restriction hasn’t changed but it is now being run several months later in a bid to attract more greyhounds.

And it seemed to work pretty well with four heats being run the previous week. A keenly contested final followed with connections chasing prize money of $10,000, second in value only to the Mount Gambier Cup.

By Blue Moon Rising, a staying greyhound of some repute, Galactic Nemesis is out of Galactic Athena – that line going back to 2005 when Elite State and Killarney Magic were mated.

Trained for Chuck by Lauren Harris, who operates out of Finniss in partnership with Ryan Tugwell, Galactic Nemesis was in front rounding the first turn and never headed when defeating Vixen Force by two lengths with a half head to High Cube in third spot in a time of 29.71 seconds.

Both minor placegetters also ran terrific races for Mortlake trainer Peter Crawley and Robert Halliday of Portland.

Paw Some Storm’s 32nd win at Tara Raceway last Sunday was certainly well timed with the daughter of Bernardo and Dusseldorp leading all the way in the Da’Leni Meats Invitation over 305 metres at start number 100.

Interestingly the 4½-year-old blue bitch wasn’t far off from matching her personal best time of 17.41 seconds run in October last year when clocking 17.49 seconds last Sunday.

On the line Paw Some Storm had 3½ lengths to spare over her litter brother Mr. Anderson who had beaten her the previous week by 1½ lengths in a time of 17.78 seconds.

Raced by Jason Newman and Dave Green, and trained by the latter at Millicent, the majority of her wins have been at Mount Gambier, interspersed with success at Murray Bridge, Gawler and Warrnambool.

Meanwhile, with little interaction currently taking place between greyhounds at the completion of their races and young patrons, Kerry Hawker of Cadillac Racing decided to take matters into her own hands – in a manner of speaking.

Hawker, somewhat concerned at the lack of interaction on track between the greyhounds and youngsters – as had once been the case – sought permission to bring Cadillac Belle, after she had raced, down to meet the Trevilyan family who were sitting at one of the outside tables.

And grandmother Lyn, dad Mark and youngsters Taj and Indi were delighted to catch up with Cadillac Belle who had run third in the race won by Paw Some Storm.

For a long time, Hawker, who together with Captain Abbott is the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club’s major sponsor, has been an advocate of involving youngsters on track with greyhounds after they have raced.

Hawker and Abbott’s involvement in greyhound racing goes back to a time when greyhounds were paraded prior to racing and when the first three placegetters would be brought back to the finish line area prior to returning to the kennel house.