From humble beginnings in a Jubilee Highway woolshed back in 1981, the Mount Gambier Cup Calcutta auction has been around for as long as the cup itself

This year’s Group 3 Mount Gambier Cup (512 metres) carries record prize money of $50,000 with the winner receiving $34,000. Eight heats will be run at the Lake Terrace East situated Tara Raceway this Sunday – March 29.

One of the many interesting runners in the cup is Intrepidus, a son of Aston Rupee and Mia Tesoro, who is trained at Ripplebrook by Rob Pallotta. He also has last year’s Mount Gambier Cup winner, Aston Gozo, back again.

Looking to follow in his father’s footsteps is local trainer Kevin Patzel with Aston Darwin jumping from box four in the first heat. His father, Ralph, trained Ashanti Gem, winner of the first Mount Gambier Cup run at Lake Terrace East in 1997.

And attempting to match Brian Lenehan, who won the 1993 cup out at Glenburnie with Immortal Flash, are his sons Phil, who has Lektra Beta engaged, and Neville (Shima Moon).

Lektra Beta won the $10,000 Spring Classic at Tara Raceway last November and recently recorded city wins in Victoria at The Meadows and Sandown Park. Shima Moon, on the other hand, has gone from a maiden to a Mount Gambier Cup heat in the space of a month.

Meanwhile, there were Cup contenders still trialling at Tara Raceway on Wednesday morning. This followed a special trial session organised by the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club at the completion of last Sunday’s race meeting.

The Sunday session, which was for Mount Gambier Cup contenders, attracted 11 greyhounds from Adelaide and Victoria and was appreciated by all concerned.

Meanwhile, one of the Victorian trainers looking to give her greyhound Gorringe every chance in Sunday’s cup heats had been Danielle Smith, who these days trains out of Tina Womann and Dennis Trewin’s Lara property.

Gorringe, an October 2023 daughter of Bernardo and Patriot Earhart, had previously been trained by Josh Formosa, prior to Smith recently winning two races with her at Sandown Park.

“She’s settled in really well,” Smith said. “And I was more than happy with her trial at Tara Raceway in the lead-up to the cup heats, especially after she drew box one in the first heat.”

Originally from New Zealand where she worked with trainers John McInerney and Ray Adcock, Smith, once in Australia, had spent some time with the highly respected Dave and Rose Geall before becoming a full-time trainer.

She kicked her career off with two litters – by My Redeemer and Flying Ricciardo – the dams, I’m Poppy and Belle’s On Boost both delivering a 100 per cent strike rate. And following is a 12 month old litter by Jungle Panther out of I’m Poppy.

As far as the Trackside Pet Meats Mount Gambier Cup is concerned, Danielle Smith certainly looks to have given Gorringe every chance and will now be hoping for her first Group race success.

The Calcutta will take place on Saturday, March 28 at the Tara Raceway clubrooms where the 63 cup contestants, after being grouped into five categories, will be auctioned by Chris Manser, ably assisted by Graham Gill.

Group A comprises eight greyhounds and will be the last group of the night to be auctioned in the order of Unworldly, Aston Guitar, Nigel Devere, Compton Gold, Neo Devere, Intrepidus, Spicy La Vida and Galento.

Kicking the night off will be Group E – Compton Franky, Swift Gift, Belair Betty, She’s A Jumbo, Energy To Burn, Aston Darwin, Belair Brindle, Princetown Flyer, Baby Girl Pearl, Rock It Kathy, City Of Love, Moonlight Grand, Magic Tom, Belair Crown, Wraps, Big Diesel, Chuck A Party, Ritza Wotton, High Cube, Diamantina Pear.

Group D – Crocodile Roll, Slick Angel, Compton Rocks, Honey Zen, Galactic Nemesis, Todd Keeping, Minnie’s My Mum, Kia Keeping, Zipping Sanchez, Wind Whiskers, Bomb Luca, Moonlight River, Zipping Sigrid.

Group C – Statue Of Time, Flying Artie, Kisauni, Aston Gozo, Seger, Compton Gypsy, Shima Moon, Zinfandel Trace, Gunning Bandit, Binnaway Warrior, Mepunga Infrared, Zipping Andora.

Group B – Nola Keeping, Lektra Beta, Take A Little, Capybara, Nangar Lady, Utter Madness, Gorringe, Never Ever Late, Destroying, Dashing Jordy.

With 11 greyhounds trialling after the final race at Tara Raceway last Sunday in readiness for this Sunday’s Trackside Pet Meats Mount Gambier Cup (512 metres) heats, it wasn’t all that surprising that there were some smart times recorded over the cup distance.

Cup contenders travelled from Adelaide and also from across the border. And they recorded times ranging from 29.27 seconds to 29.76 seconds while two dogs ran 22.81 seconds and 23.12 seconds over 400 metres.

But one visiting Victorian trainer in Paul Galea, who has the Group 3 $50,000 cup firmly in his sights, opted to bypass the trials and run his 12-race winner Galento in the Ontrack Insider Stake (512 m) for grade five greyhounds.

Lining up at the Mount Gambier track for the first time, the black dog never looked in danger of defeat when leading all the way from box four and defeating Compton Gypsy by 6¼ lengths in 29.29 seconds.

“As a lead-in to the Mount Gambier Cup I had been keen, not only for him to have a look at the track, but also to give him every chance by running him here under race conditions,” Galea said.

Coming into the race on the back of a best of night 29.38 seconds 515 metres win at Sandown Park earlier in the month, Galento is a son of Fernando Bale and Black Robin – a successful line that goes back to 2006 and a mating of Tail Lee with Kiowa Sweet Trey.

Black Robin , a daughter of Aston Dee Bee and Got The Attitude, is a litter sister to Handsome Rhino who won a heat of the 2022 Easter Egg at Wentworth Park.

And part-owner Frank Spiteri, who grew up with Galea and was also at Tara Raceway last Sunday, will be at Wentworth Park next weekend for the Easter Egg with Ross The Boss, a winner of 11 races and more than $78,000 in prize money.

Galento’s kennel name is Tony while his litter brother, Ross The Boss is named after Josh Ross, a two-time winner of the Stawell Gift. And Galea was keen to relate the story of how Galento’s kennel name came about.

“I had read quite a bit about this overweight American heavyweight boxer Tony Galento who had fought during the 1930s and 1940s. Apparently he had been described in many different ways but the one I liked best was his description as ‘a beer barrel that walks like a man’.

“Anyway, when the Fernando Bale x Black Robin litter was whelped back in August 2023, the first thing I thought of was Tony Galento when this black pup started waddling around and looking anything but a future racing machine.

“So we called him Tony and then had always hoped that we would be able to get Galento as his racing name,” he said.

And it has to be said he looked anything but “a beer barrel that walks like a man” when going around Tara Raceway last Sunday in the fastest 512 metre time of the year.

Meanwhile, this time last year Penola trainer Stuart Sharam was preparing Sharp Thief, a daughter of Fernando Bale and Millett, for the Mount Gambier Cup.

As it turned out, Sharp Thief scored something of a surprise win in her heat and then ran the race of her life in the Group 3 final the following week when finishing a 1¾ length second to Aston Gozo.

Fast forward 12 months and Sharam and his wife Pat and son Liam are now flat out looking after Sharp Thief’s March 12 whelped litter of four dogs and three bitches by Feral Franky.

They’re also doing pretty well with the Peter Carter owned Poke Salad Annie, the daughter of Bernardo and Reinforcements having now won two of her only three starts at Tara Raceway over 305 metres.

Lining up in last Sunday’s Commercial Hotel Mixed Stake, Poke Salad Annie never looked like being beaten when scoring a 9¼ length win over Ollie Limes in a smart 17.39 seconds.

While there were only eight races on the card, this didn’t stop leading trainer Tracie Price from winning five of them with Dolly’s My Mum, Compton Shelly, Compton To Avoid, Trentino and Capybara.

And on a day of fast times – both race and trial – local Mount Gambier Cup hope Capybara, a daughter of Fernando Bale and Nangar Gold, didn’t lose too many friends when successful in the Gordon Refrigeration Mixed Stake (512 m).

Third early, the brindle bitch railed through to take the lead on the home turn before running out a three length winner over Statue Of Time and Honey Zen in 29.54 seconds.