Wednesday, May 23, 2018

There was certainly a Penshurst presence in last Friday’s Greg Martlew Autos Stake (512 metres) at Tara Raceway when Fascinated and Good Yarn, who had travelled over together, clashed in the time-graded event.

Trained by John Cameron (Camo), Fascinated did look well placed and ran accordingly, leading all the way to defeat the John Burow (Buzz) trained Good Yarn by 2½ lengths in 30.34 seconds and give the Penshurst pair the quinella.

By Hutmaker, the winner is out of the former smart bitch Spellbound who won 16 races at Tara Raceway as well as five at Sandown Park and another two at The Meadows.

Cameron purchased her as a pup from Portland breeder Cass Billington and 4½ years and 82 starts later the 24 kilogram black bitch is still racing well, having now won 12 races, including the Fashion D’Or Ladies Bracelet over 600 metres at Tara Raceway’s 2017 Christmas meeting.

Good Yarn, who hasn’t won since scoring over 600 metres at Tara Raceway last September, put in a big run, coming from well back early to finish strongly, prompting racecaller Tim Edwards to declare the run as “massive”.

Burow bred Good Yarn, a daughter of Cosmic Chief and his handy bitch Spin A Yarn who raced on 97 occasions for 13 wins including a Tara Raceway track record run over 400 metres.

Cameron was back at Tara Raceway on Sunday with Fascinated who ran third to McIvor Neville in the Klaassens Contractors Stake (512) while Burow has opted to tackle The Border Watch Stake (512 m) at tomorrow’s time-graded meeting.

And one can only imagine how the trip back to Penshurst on Friday afternoon would have played out. Cameron confirmed the worst.

“Here we were travelling home, Buzz in the passenger seat, frequently quenching his thirst, empty cans rolling around everywhere, and I’m having to put up with him telling me how good his dog is.

“You know, ‘my dog was unlucky, she should have won, the racecaller said it was a massive run’ and so on.

“Actually, by the time we got back to Penshurst he had just about convinced me that Good Yarn had won the race so I did have to gently remind him of the result.”

However, apparently there was nothing really out of the ordinary here. No, it seems it was just another typical Buzz and Camo road trip.

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Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Coleraine trainer Bob Wombwell has been involved with greyhounds for a long time. In fact, take a look at Glenburnie results for meetings as far back as 1980 and his name can be found alongside a maiden 289 metre winner called Dynamic Tarmel.

Wombwell trained 13 winners at Tara Raceway last year but coming into Friday’s meeting was still chasing his first for 2018 at the local track although he had won at Warrnambool last month with Banjo Boss at the nice odds of $14.

Banjo Boss, a nicely-bred son of Banjo Boy x Rustic Reeta, was purchased along with his brother Banjo Bonito at the end of last year by Wombwell from owner Andrew Varasdi who also owns the sire.

Banjo Bonito, who won his maiden over 512 metres at Tara Raceway back in November, lined up from box two in the Gordon Refrigeration Stake (400 m) and appreciated the class drop when turning his form around with an effortless 9¼ length win in 23.51 seconds.

The win, which was Wombwell’s first Tara Raceway success since Outlaw Eddie in early December, continued the trainer’s good run with performed greyhounds that he has purchased.

“I bought the pair for $2000 and they’ve now paid for themselves,” he said. “Previously, I raced another performed dog, the 38 kilogram Fear Helvetia who won eight races at Tara Raceway and Horsham and also paid his way.”

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Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Locally owned and trained Galactic Panther faces a tough task tomorrow night at Angle Park in the first semi-final of the Group 3 Howard Ashton final (515 m).

Owned by Robert Chuck and trained at Worrolong by Steve Bartholomew, Galactic Panther has drawn box two in a field that includes boom youngster Victa Louise, along with Abuzz, Tal Lee and Springvale Choix.

With two $2515-to-the-winner semi-finals to be decided, the first four from each semi will advance to next week’s $37,500 final.

Bartholomew also has Azumi Spice, an impressive 400 metre winner at Tara Raceway last Sunday, engaged from box six in a grade six over 515 metres.

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Monday, May 21, 2018

Cape Bridgewater trainer Scott Blacksell, who started the year off in a blaze of glory when Mount Ghost won at Tara Raceway’s first two meetings, was back among the winners on Friday with Pinecutter Pete.

With his first four starts resulting in unplaced efforts, the black dog was a $23 chance when lining up from box four in the Klaassens Contractors Stake (512 m).

However, he looked anything but an outsider as he quickly found the front, never really looking like getting beaten when defeating Wok Djay by a length in a personal best time of 30.67 seconds and bringing up the first win for the litter.

Named after harvest operator Pete Leonard, Pinecutter Pete is nicely bred, being by Magic Sprite out of Miss Shirleen, a winner of three provincial Victorian races and a litter sister to former more-than-handy chasers Old Jock, Temalor and Bekim Vapour.

Whelped in September 2016, which makes him well placed for the forthcoming Winter Classic, especially if he keeps improving, Pinecutter Pete was also reared and educated by Blacksell.

Edenhope trainer Cap Abbott’s good year continued when he landed his third double, this time with giveaway greyhound Rugged and Blonde Barbados.

Rugged, in Abbott’s kennels for only a month, was only fairly away from box eight in the winningformula.net.au Maiden Stake (400 m) but somehow quickly found the rails and from then on was always travelling like a winner.

By High Earner x Miss Bel Air – a 15-race winner for $42,000 in prizemoney – Rugged’s first win came at his 14th start with all 10 of the litter having now been successful.

Miss Bel Air, who has also produced plenty of winners from three other litters, is beautifully bred, being by Brett Lee out of Casey’s Angel.

Blonde Barbados, out of the winner’s list since last September, brought up her third win for Abbott when leading all the way in the Williams Crane Hire Stake (400 m).

By Cosmic Rumble out of New Year’s Punch, a winner of $53,000 in prizemoney, the white and fawn bitch’s win continued her trainer’s successful run with the dam’s progeny – Mo Town Roy and Blazin’ Vicky (by Razldazl Jayfkay) both city winners.

Blonde Barbados is from a repeat mating, the first litter by Cosmic Rumble producing Bruce Tycoon, who raced on 130 occasions for 36 wins, 39 minor placings and more than $271,000 in prizemoney.

And Abbott’s winning run continued on into Sunday’s meeting when another recent giveaway in Dark Vader, a winner of 12 races and more than $24,000 in prizemoney, opened his Tara Raceway winning account.

Slowly away from box seven in the Gordon Refrigeration Stake (400 m), the son of Spring Gun x Allez Bijoux quickly ranged up to share the lead with Brinza, the pair matching strides until the home turn (Captain’s Corner) where Dark Vader pulled away to eventually win by 1½ lengths in 23.63 seconds.

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Saturday, May 19, 2018

Tony Hinrichsen’s treble with San Tan Sam, Filthy Phantom and Focused Fury at Friday’s Tara Raceway time-graded meeting wrapped up a successful week on the track for the Monarto South trainer.

President of the Southern Greyhound Raceway at Strathalbyn, Hinrichsen’s winning run commenced last Sunday at Gawler after the recently-acquired San Tan Sam came from last early to score a big win over 531 metres.

And Breemelia Swift’s all the way boilover win at $31 in a heat of the Howard Ashton Classic at Angle Park on Wednesday afternoon took him a step closer to lining up with a finalist in Thursday week’s $37,500 feature for SA-bred greyhounds.

San Tan Sam, who had created a fair sort of impression with a smart 29.92 seconds win over 512 metres a month ago at the local track, returned on Friday to take on the Greyhound-Data.com Mixed Stake (600 m).

The son of Collision and San Tan Maid – a daughter of the US-bred San Tan Scruffy – had previously raced on only one occasion over the middle-distance, unplaced at Angle Park last October, but he once again impressed at Tara Raceway with an all the way 10 length win in a smart 35.20 seconds.

Filthy Phantom, by Lochinvar Marlow x Ruby Swift and a litter brother to Breemelia Swift, had to work hard in the Rock’s Retreat Stake (512 m) after Crickey Creeky opened up a handy lead and still led the field into the home straight.

A winner last month on the grass at Port Augusta, Filthy Phantom dug deep in the concluding stages of the race to eventually defeat the early leader by three-quarters of a length in 30.47 seconds.

And Focused Fury – by Lochinvar Marlow out of Fighting Fury, a finalist in the 2011 Mount Gambier Cup won by Banger Harvey – led all the way in the JB Irrigation Stake (400 m), giving Hinrichsen his third treble after previous bags of three winners at Port Augusta and Strathalbyn.

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