Kevin Jones, involved on a voluntary basis with the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club (MGGRC) for the past 23 years, was recognised at last Sunday’s meeting at Tara Raceway with the Connie Miller Club Service Award.

At one time, Jones had spent a considerable amount of time at the track, helping to keep the Lake Terrace East grounds in order with his great mate Monty Wilson who passed away in September 2022.

Jones also raced greyhounds with Wilson, as well as with son-in-law Allan Hale and Barry Shepheard who currently is the chief steward at MGRC Thursday and Sunday race meetings.

Shepheard and Jones enjoyed quite a bit of success with staying greyhound Super Pick, a son of Big Daddy Cool and Ruby’s Pick.

Preceding the Service Award presentation was the running of the Connie Miller Open Stake over 400 metres.

From a greyhound racing point of view in the south-east, Miller’s contribution went much further than training a couple of Mount Gambier Cup winners in 1987 and 1988 with Durafi and Mitchell Boy at the Glenburnie track.

Several years prior she had assumed the role of secretary of the South East Greyhound Racing Club – later to become the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing & Coursing Club Inc. And with the exception of 1996-1997, Miller was secretary until 2002-2003.

In 1994 she received club life membership and was also recognised by the SA greyhound racing industry with an Outstanding Service to the Industry award.

Lining up from box one in the Connie Miller Open Stake was Super Seabird, owned by Geoff Collins and trained in Victoria at Wattle Flat by his partner Rosalyn Hume.

Collins had been over at the end of last year with the daughter of Shima Shine and All American Super C Azelle when she had run third to Cadillac Ragtop. And a month earlier at Tara Raceway he had won with Super Sequioa, a litter brother to Super Seabird.

But it was Super Seabird’s turn last Sunday when she led all the way for a two length win over Mister Cadillac in a quick 22.71 seconds.

Hume and Collins have also enjoyed success at the highest level – winning the Australian Cup (525 m) at The Meadows 13 years ago with Zara Zulu. And in 2002 they won their first Australian Cup with Isa Brown who had been trained for them by Robert Britton.

Locally owned and trained greyhounds Bourne Model and Compton Gold sounded a warning for the forthcoming Cadillac Racing Mount Gambier Cup (512 m) when finishing second and third behind Darcy Dakota in last Sunday’s Group 3 $36,000 Murray Bridge Cup (455 m).

Always on the pace, the David Peckham and Tracie Price trained pair finished three-quarters of a length and 1¼ lengths respectively behind the Kerry Stagg trained Darcy Dakota whose winning time was 25.26 seconds.

Despite having dominated racing at Tara Raceway since the TAB was introduced on course in 2012, both Peckham and Price are still chasing their first Mount Gambier Cup success. However, Peckham’s father, Allen, was successful in 1994 with Argyle Sally.

Heats of the Mount Gambier Cup will be run on Sunday, March 30 with the final on Sunday, April 6. Preceding the heats will be the Calcutta which will be conducted at Tara Raceway on Friday, March 28, commencing at 6 p.m.

Meanwhile, after recently relocating, Michael Callanan made a successful first-time visit to Tara Raceway last Sunday with his veteran greyhound Nyah Nyah Demon.

“I recently relocated to a three-acre property at Wonwondah which is just outside Horsham,” he said. “So I decided I’d come over and check out the Mount Gambier track with Nyah Nyah Demon which I recently picked up primarily for breeding.

“She’s nicely bred, being by Zambora Brockie out of Zipping Spring and with 20 wins and more than $68,000 in prize money I thought she could have a bit going for her from a breeding point of view.”

Chasing her first win since last November at Geelong, Nyah Nyah Demon was only fairly away from box one in the Da’Leni Meats Masters (305 m).

But the 70-start veteran never left the rails and simply took the shortest way home when defeating littermates Mr. Anderson and Paw Some Storm by a half-length and a neck in a more than handy time of 17.43 seconds.

“I’ve now been involved with greyhounds for four years and today was my second winner, the first coming with Far Out Scout at Horsham last December. I certainly won’t forget my first trip to Mount Gambier in a hurry,” a delighted Callanan said.P

Long-time greyhound trainer Tony Hinrichsen of Langhorne Creek continued his successful Tara Raceway run at last Thursday’s time-graded meeting when landing his second double this year at the Mount Gambier track.

Kicking off his winning day was Blazing Gold, a short-priced favourite in the Federal Hotel TG5+W Stake (512 metres).

And while the black dog appeared to be struggling in the early stages of the race by the time he turned for home he looked all over a winner, eventually defeating Cadillac Patch by 1¼ lengths in 30.48 seconds.

In Hinrichsen’s kennels since last September, nine-race winner Blazing Gold is a son of Koblenz and Maddison Kaye who won 15 races at Angle Park, Gawler and Murray Bridge.

Bred at Strathalbyn by Debbie Stuppos, Blazing Gold’s litter has turned out to be pretty handy and also includes Chilli Sal, Lenny’s Honey, Nowhere Man and Robert Chuck’s locally-based Huntsman.

Hinrichsen’s double came up in the following race, the Da’Leni Meats TG5+W Stake (512 m), after Captain Rita made it two wins in succession with an all the way win over a fast finishing Princess To Burn in a best of day 29.97 seconds.

His involvement in the sport goes back to the late 1970s when he was living in the Adelaide suburb of Plympton Park and he picked up a 21 kilogram giveaway greyhound by the name of Bundy And Coke.

By Magic Typhoon out of Dark Marabou, Bundy And Coke, who raced at Mount Gambier’s original Glenburnie track, later won in three states including Queensland where she ran a record 54.80 seconds at Ipswich over 875 metres.

In 2009 Hinrichsen purchased Fighting Fury for $600, the daughter of November Fury and Placaleena winning a heat of the 2011 Mount Gambier Cup (512 m). Later, after a mating with Dyna Tron, she produced Menzel Boys who won the 2016 Summer Classic (512 m) at Tara Raceway.

And Lethal Fury, a litter sister to Menzel Boys, when mated with My Bro Fabio in November 2017 produced Balboa Fury, winner of the 2019 Winter Classic (512 m).

Meanwhile, after four runs in Victoria for Pyramid Hills couple John Caulfield and Judith Condo, Crowie Unleashed is now at Compton and being trained by Tracie Price for Garry Harding.

And the black and white dog became the ninth member of the 10-dog Beast Unleashed x Minnie Banjo litter to win when successful in last Thursday’s Carlin & Gazzard Maiden Stake (305 m).

Settling in second spot, Crowie Unleashed rounded up the tearaway leader Marma Phantom off the back before scoring a 1¾ length win in 17.96 seconds.

The litter was whelped in March 2023 and as such is well placed from an age perspective in regard to the forthcoming Autumn Classic which will be run over 512 metres in May for dogs and bitches whelped on or after January 1, 2023.

The event was first run in 2015 as the Summer Classic in the month of February and then more recently in January to coincide with the Family Fun Day.

But the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club (MGGRC) this year has opted to run the event under the same age restrictions but several months later as the Autumn Classic.

The MGGRC is hopeful that, given the later time slot, there may be more young greyhounds ready to contest the age-restricted events. Also, what was previously known as the Winter Classic (July 1, 2023 onwards) will now carry the name Spring Classic and be run in November.

The inaugural Summer Classic was won by reserve runner Cryer’s Ricky, owned and trained by Tom and Margaret Cryer of Apsley. Stylish Moment, trained by Tracie Price, won the first Winter Classic in 2014.

And popular Portland trainer Robert Halliday was back among the winners for the first time this year after his brindle dog High Cube defeated Kansas Chief by a half head in the Williams Crane Hire TG1-4W Stake (512 m) in 30.30 seconds.

Now a winner of two races from six starts, High Cube is by Flying Ricciardo out of Miami Fernando and was whelped in February 2023.

From an age point of view, he’s another one to fit the Autumn Classic criteria, his trainer successful in the 2017 Summer Classic with Hutch who defeated Blitz And Bolt.

Following the running of last Sunday night’s Group 3 Murray Bridge Cup heats (455 metres), three locally owned and trained greyhounds have made their way through to the $26,000-to-the-winner final.

Tracie Price, of Compton, struck the first blow for the locals when Compton Gold, after finding herself midfield early from box four, worked into second spot before finishing powerfully for a one length win over Seagull Rock in 25.94 seconds.

By Beast Unleashed out of Minnie Banjo, the March 2023 fawn bitch has now won five races at Murray Bridge and nine overall.

And in the second heat, Bourne Model, trained at Allendale East by David Peckham, settled in second spot behind Aston Corleone before finishing strongly for a one length win in 25.83 seconds.

A seven-race winner, the daughter of Feral Franky and Sweet On Me is raced by the Bourne Team which comprises Peckham along with Kevin Douglas, Kevin Patzel and Christine Yourgules – the trio receiving a share of the ownership in appreciation of their help out at Bourne Kennels.

Then, in the sixth of seven heats, it was Bourne Model’s litter brother Bourne Lickety who provided Peckham with his second cup finalist after he found the front from box eight before running out a two length winner over Blue Goose Boy in 25.87 seconds.

Lining up in the 2025 Murray Bridge Cup final on Sunday are 1 Dakota Ava, 2 Bourne Model, 3 Darcy Dakota, 4 Fantastic Spike, 5 I’m a Mustang, 6 Bourne Lickety, 7 Got The Cash, 8 Compton Gold.
With the cup being run as an afternoon fixture to dodge the nearby speedway meeting that night, Mount Gambier will now race in Sunday’s twilight timeslot.

And the Cadillac Racing Mount Gambier Cup heats will be run over 512 metres at Tara Raceway on Sunday, March 30 with the Group 3 final on Sunday, April 6.

A lead-up to the cup heats will be the Calcutta on Friday, March 28, commencing at Tara Raceway at 6 p.m. Auctioning all the cup runners will be Chris Manser while Graham Gill will MC the night.

Meanwhile, Greyhound Racing SA will be linking bonuses to both the Murray Bridge Cup and Mount Gambier Cup.

This will include a $5000 bonus if the same dog can win both cups. There will also be a $5000 trainer bonus if the same trainer can win both cups (SA or interstate or different dogs).