Unplaced stakemoney of $50 a greyhound for all Sunday races at Tara Raceway will be introduced on December 2, replacing the current $20 which is solely a trainer payment.
This follows an announcement this week by Greyhound Racing SA Chairman, Grantley Stevens, who said the change took into consideration a number of circumstances that are unique to the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club.
“This includes the fact that Mount Gambier is the only TAB track in SA yet to be allocated a weekly Category 2 meeting – the second-highest level of stakemoney for standard graded events,” he said.
“The decision also recognises that the club is arguably the least-favoured by the amended schedule of racing that will be implemented from the commencement of racing at the Murray Bridge facility on December 19.
“The scheduling of Sunday meetings at both Mount Gambier and Murray Bridge will require trainers to choose one over the other.”
Stevens said that GRSA was hopeful that the introduction of the $50 unplaced stakemoney would help to strengthen the current rate of nominations for the Mount Gambier Sunday timeslot and that the SA greyhound industry should be working towards equitable circumstances being in place across all clubs.
“We believe this initiative at Mount Gambier will bring the club into closer alignment with the other TAB tracks.”
Stevens also said that the GRSA board has identified the critical importance of having three strong regional clubs in SA, underpinned by a fair and balanced approach towards both stakemoney levels and infrastructure support for each.
When the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club is allocated a weekly Category 2 meeting, the Sunday unplaced money will revert to standard industry levels at the time.
Springvale Alysa’s personal best winning run of 29.79 seconds in last Sunday’s Produce Store Open Stake (512 metres) at Tara Raceway has the Bungaloo Syndicate now looking at next month’s Williams Crane Hire Christmas Cup (512 m).
This is the syndicate that comprises local greyhound owners John Little, Liz Newberry and Kevin Mullan with Little, a relative newcomer to the training ranks, seemingly not doing too much wrong in that area.
Heats will be run on Sunday, December 16 with the final at the Tara Raceway Christmas meeting on Friday, December 21.
Springvale Alysa defeats Bereluke in last Sunday’s Produce Store Open Stake (512 m). Also pictured are Paraphernalia (7), Ben Nevis and Cryer’s Plugger.
The Christmas Cup, first run in 2011, is always a keenly-contested affair with the Nicole Stanley trained Hit The Runway successful last year while Tracie Price’s Who’s Doing What, dam of current star local youngster Smart Knocka, won the 2014 cup in a race record time of 29.77 seconds.
And it’s a fair bet the Bungaloo Syndicate is also setting its sights on next March’s 2019 Group Listed Mount Gambier Cup (512 m), this year’s event being where their successful year actually began.
Back in March, Little and Mullan were at the Saturday night Mount Gambier Cup Calcutta, steering clear of the higher-priced big names lining up in the heats the following day and looking to bid on one of the cup “lesser lights”.
“In the end we were able to secure Xtreme Caution who was grouped in one of the lower brackets and not really expected to figure on Mount Gambier Cup final day,” Little recalled this week.
“But his second behind Blazing Moment in a heat the next day was good enough to get him through and when he drew box one in the final we started to get half-excited.”
It’s now history how the Brian Weis-trained Xtreme Caution led all the way to win the cup and how the Bungaloo Syndicate collected more than $4000 from the Calcutta auction.
“We decided we’d put the proceeds of the Calcutta to ‘good use’ and promptly took on the task of looking around for a performed greyhound that was for sale,” Little said.
“Initially we settled on a bitch called Dyna Quail. There wasn’t much of her but she was by Fernando Bale and had recently won a maiden at Angle Park in 29.88 seconds. However, that deal quickly fell through.
Kevin Mullan (left), Liz Newberry and John Little with Springvale Alysa.
“As it turned out, the dog that had run second to Dyna Quail was on the market. She had been beaten a fair way but was well bred and besides, if we purchased her then there would be some change from the Calcutta windfall.”
That dog, of course, was Springvale Alysa, a March 2016 daughter of Dyna Double One and Springvale Cool, a winner of 18 races and dam, from an earlier litter by Bekim Bale, of Springvale Carla and Springvale Cooke who collectively won 25 races and more than $80,000 in stakemoney.
Upon relocation to Little’s Kongorong kennels in April, Springvale Alysa promptly vindicated the syndicate’s decision by winning two races at Tara Raceway and then following up with a another win at Warrnambool.
Fair enough, there’s been a couple of hiccups along the way but Springvale Alysa has since gone on to win a further six races this year, is now in top grade at Tara Raceway and is more than holding her own for the Bungaloo Syndicate.
And if things go to plan, come next March Little and Mullan will be back for the Saturday night Calcutta, the only difference being that they will be bidding on their own dog.
Meanwhile, there will be plenty of interest in Sunday’s Metal Worx Mixed Stake (512 m) at Tara Raceway with Springvale Alysa looking hard to beat again from box two and Jeff Guy’s Paraphernalia, well boxed in one, desperately needing points to stay in touch with Oh No Beta for Greyhound of the Year honours.
The Nicole Stanley trained Oh No Beta, currently four points clear, has drawn box six in a tough Williams Crane Hire Open Stake (400 m) on Sunday although her 2018 Anniversary Cup winner Ben Nevis should appreciate the drop back to grade five company in the Trackside Meats Stake (512 m).
Leading local trainer Tracie Price’s win in last Sunday’s Newman McDonnell Memorial final (512 metres) at Tara Raceway came as no real surprise. After all, he supplied half the field, three of them in the top order of betting.
What did come as a surprise, though, was the performance of Banjo Lass, the fourth of Price’s finalists and at double-figure odds after having run just one third placing (to qualify for the final) from five starts over 512 metres.
Banjo Lass defeats Shae’s Magic and Brinza in last Sunday’s Newman McDonnell Memorial final (512 m) at Tara Raceway.
Generally regarded as a short-courser, the beautifully-bred Banjo Lass – a winner of five races this year at the track over 400 metres – was transferred to Price’s Compton kennels in March by prominent NSW owner Andrew Varasdi.
By Knocka Norris, the March 2016 black bitch is out of Sandown Park and The Meadows winner Banjo Star, a litter sister to Varasdi’s former top chaser Banjo Boy who is now a successful sire.
Not surprisingly, Banjo Lass showed plenty of early pace from box seven in Sunday’s 33rd running of the memorial, matching motors early with another outsider in Rusty Sprocket before finding the front down the back straight and then holding off all challenges to win in 30.06 seconds.
Race favourite was the Price newcomer Shae’s Magic, formerly trained by Ryan Tugwell at Finniss. Also not surprisingly, the 35 kilogram black dog set himself a fair task after settling well back early from box six before working home well out wide to go down by 1½ lengths.
On the pace throughout was Robert Halliday’s four-year-old Brinza who maintained his consistent form with a 2½ length third placing while $41 chance Rusty Sprocket gave plenty of cheek when finishing fourth for Scott Blacksell.
Tracie and Karen Price, Les McDonnell, Margaret Considine and Bill Ward pictured with Banjo Lass after her win in the Newman McDonnell Memorial.
With 128 Tara Raceway winners this year – many bred on his property – Price’s operation is considerable. At the presentation he thanked his team of workers. He thanked the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club and he thanked McDonnell family representatives Margaret Considine and Les McDonnell for their continued support of the race.
“Their support for more than 30 years of the Newman McDonnell Memorial and for the lovely trophy that always comes with the race is really appreciated by owners and trainers,” he said.
“Those of us involved in greyhound racing today owe a great debt to people such as Newman McDonnell. I’m sure he would be suitably impressed at the progress that has been made since racing commenced all those years ago at Glenburnie.”
Price’s race quinella with Banjo Lass and Shae’s Magic was the second time in two years that a trainer has provided the memorial winner and runner-up – only a half-head separating Richard Clayfield’s pair of Glenville Jester and Slipper’s Shadow in 2016.
It was also the second time that Price had won the memorial, Teddy La Plume, a son of Go Wild Teddy x Sun La Girl, successful in 2010.
Handling the presentation on Sunday was Bill Ward, MGGRC life member and president of the club between 1991 and 1997. Ward was also on the South East Greyhound Racing Club committee in 1979 when greyhound racing commenced at Glenburnie and Newman McDonnell was president.
And new to Tara Raceway since the McDonnell family was last at the track is the club’s memorabilia display – of much interest to them and highlighted by black and white considerably enlarged photographs on the back wall featuring participants and greyhounds of a bygone era.
While Paraphernalia has enjoyed a successful year at Tara raceway, winning 11 races – three more than any other greyhound – it wasn’t until last Sunday’s meeting that he finally joined long-time Greyhound of the Year leader Oh No Beta on 52 points.
Nifty Lenehan with Greyhound of the Year leader Oh No Beta.
This came about after the Jeff Guy trained 134-start veteran picked up one point when running third behind Springvale Alysa and Bereluke in the Produce Store Stake (512 m).
But before the day was over, Nicole Stanley’s Oh No Beta, at his 103rd start, had led all the way in the Trackside Meats Mixed Stake (400 m) to bring up his eighth win at Tara Raceway this year and pick up another four GOTY points.
And Robert Halliday’s Redda added further interest to the award last Sunday when successful in the South Eastern Hotel Stake (512 m), a win that saw him move into third spot on 49 points.
Redda has certainly been given plenty of chances to pick up GOTY points this year, having gone around 40 times at Tara Raceway, while Oh No Beta has raced locally on 29 occasions and Paraphernalia 20.
Discounting time-graded meetings, there are only five meetings remaining for genuine GOTY contenders to pick up points, Stanley now looking to be in the box seat to land a third successive title after Old Jock and Fiorelli Rose were successful in 2016 and 2017 with total points of 71 and 67.
Victorian trainer Debbie White’s decision to give a couple of her greyhounds in Janray Tigerlily and Blackpool Remi a look at a new track paid dividends at last Friday’s Tara Raceway time-graded meeting.
Based close to Bacchus Marsh at Parwan, White drew box one with both of her winning runners, the unconventionally-bred Janray Tigerlily running down early leader Neb’s Horse to win the South Eastern Hotel Stake (400 metres) by a half length in 23.75 seconds.
Debbie White with Blackpool Remi, the second leg of a winning double at Tara Raceway last Friday.
This was the first time in Mount Gambier for the trainer, involved in the sport for more than 30 years and who relocated to Victoria from NSW about three years ago.
A maiden winner at Healesville in September, this was the second win for Janray Tigerlily, a daughter of the virtually unknown sire Keyser Soze (Surf Lorian x Current Dream) – a winner of seven provincial Victorian races – while the dam, Janray Arcadia, raced on only 14 occasions for two third placings.
Giveaway greyhound Blackpool Remi lined up in the Gambier Vets Stake (400 m) with only one win – at Geelong back in August – from 33 starts, although there had been plenty of minor placings along the way.
Raced by Brian and Peter Wilson, the nicely-bred daughter of Barcia Bale and Wentworth Park winner Paua And Jewels had no trouble in adapting to the new surrounds, leading all the way when defeating Knocka’s Moment by 1¾ lengths in a handy 23.38 seconds.
The win completed White’s first double since relocating although there had been previous dual winners at tracks such as Wentworth Park, Richmond, Nowra and Dapto.
Speaking after the win she said she believed Blackpool Remi had been lacking confidence and figured a run on another track behind the finish-on-lure might help to turn her fortunes around.
“There’s a bit of winning form around the litter and this one has also got her share of ability but has just been racing with no luck,” she said.
White, who has a dozen dogs in work, said that now she had discovered Tara Raceway there was a strong chance she would return.
“The green grass surrounds help to make this a stunning complex,” she said. “I couldn’t believe the look of the place as I drove in this morning.”
The WA bush chaplain John Dihm and Cap Abbott, the septuagenarian trainer from Edenhope, teamed up for another win last Friday, this time with Pool Hall in the JB Irrigation Stake over 600 metres.
Trainer Cap Abbott with Pool Hall and Kerry Hawker with Black Spring after the kennelmates ran the quinella in the JB Irrigation Stake (600 m) at Tara Raceway last Friday.
Having her first start over the middle-distance journey at Tara Raceway, Pool Hall showed good pace from a favourable box seven draw before taking over the running down the back straight from Cindy La Moment.
From then on the only danger was going to be kennelmate Black Spring, having his first start over 600 metres and in the end doing a good job to be beaten only 2½ lengths in a handy 35.34 seconds – Abbott saying later that he had also been really happy with the second placegetter’s run.
By My Bro Fabio out of Book Of Days, Pool Hall, also a winner at Goulburn, Angle Park and Gawler prior to being taken over by Abbott, was bred at Ballalaba – 90 kilometres from Canberra – by Craig Sheridan, a long-time friend of Dihm.
All four members of the September 2015 litter have won races – Bad Ronnie at Goulburn and Dapto, Book Of Luck recently at Wentworth Park and the 40 kilogram Big Casey, part-owned by Dihm and set to join Abbott’s kennels this week after winning at Goulburn and Bulli.
Serendipity Gold concluded a good week for the Richard Boehm/Sandra Elmes training team when winning in best of day time on Friday.
The wins of Lil Black Jess and Serendipity Gold at Friday’s meeting wrapped up a big week for the Dunolly training team of Richard Boehm and Sandra Elmes.
The Boehm-trained Lil Black Jess was involved in a terrific tussle with Giveaway Fury and Banana Honeybear in The Border Watch Maiden Stake (400 m), eventually winning by a head in 23.95 seconds.
And later, in the Klaassens Contractors Stake (512 m), Serendipity Gold continued his outstanding time-graded form at Tara Raceway for Elmes with an outstanding 5¼ length win over Cosmic Creek in 29.87 seconds – a time that would be more than competitive at a Sunday meeting.
This was the pair’s second double for the week, the Elmes trained Avatar Maximus successful over 410 metres at Horsham on the Tuesday prior while Boehm won with Avatar Minty, also over 410 metres, later in the night. Both winners paid dividends in excess of $20.
