Tara Raceway track watchers will tell you that there are plenty of promising youngsters being put through their paces at the moment at Tuesday and Saturday morning trial sessions.
This augurs well for the forthcoming Val and Col Sims Memorial Maiden (512 m), heats of which will be run on Sunday, January 13 at Tara Raceway and the final a week later.
Algi Lapinskas pictured with Samprass after his impressive Tara Raceway win last Sunday.
And also for the Summer Classic, an age-restricted non penalty event run in February over 512 metres for dogs and bitches whelped on or after January 1, 2017. First run in 2015, the classic has been won by Cryer’s Ricky, Menzel Boys, Hutch and Galactic Panther.
One early classic contender could be Samprass, an impressive virtual all the way winner of last Sunday’s Laser Electrical Stake (512 m) by 6½ lengths in a solid 30.05 seconds for Murray Bridge owner Anthony Lapinskas and trainer Don Turner of Lewiston.
Whelped in March 2017, Samprass is by little-known sire Shoulders – a son of Cosmic Rumble and Bit Stressed, and a winner of 15 races and $90,000 in stakemoney – out of seven-race Adelaide winner Pinkachu.
Accompanying Turner down to Mount Gambier last weekend was Lapinskas’s father, Algi, who has known the trainer for more than 40 years and who actually purchased the straw to Shoulders.
“My brother-in-law, Adrian Chevalier, bred and reared the litter, Anthony receiving a dog pup – later to race as Samprass – in return for the straw,” Algi Lapinskas said.
Samprass has now raced on 14 occasions for five wins and four minor placings, Turner saying later that he would be giving the Summer Classic serious consideration.
Compton-based Smart Knocka, a winner of almost $25,000 in stakemoney, faces a tough task after drawing box six in heat three of Saturday night’s Feikuai Greyhounds Silver Chief classic (525 m) at The Meadows.
Trained by Tracie Price, Smart Knocka has raced on 13 occasions for seven wins and two minor placings, his last win being in early November at Tara Raceway where he defeated Springvale Alysa over 512 metres in a quick 29.72 seconds.
The son of Knocka Norris and Who’s Doing What will clash with Got Some Wheels, a recent stunning 26.88 seconds winner over 485 metres at Horsham, along with Aston Kimetto, recent winner of the Ballarat Cup and Geelong Cup.
The Price-trained Cee Me Snoop will jump from box three in heat eight of the Silver Chief.
Portland greyhound Hutch, after an outstanding heat win in last Sunday’s Williams Crane Hire Christmas Cup (512 metres), has come up with box two in Friday’s top class final and looks the one to beat.
By Premier Fantasy out of 19-race winner Cairnlea Ellie, the black dog jumped well from box seven in last Sunday’s first heat, railing through on Banjo Lass down the back straight before running out a 4¾ length winner over Noosa Parade in a best of day 29.73 seconds.
Hutch pictured winning the first heat of the Williams Crane Hire Christmas Cup at Tara Raceway last Sunday.
Trainer Robert Halliday is yet to win the Christmas Cup, Homer finishing fourth for him in last year’s final. A win by Hutch would cap off another pretty handy year for the dog – nine wins at Tara Raceway including the Mount Gambier Cup Consolation and SA Country Cup heat as well as success at The Meadows, Horsham and Warrnambool.
Springvale Alysa’s all-the-way win over Cryer’s Plugger in the second heat in 29.79 seconds continued the terrific story this year for Kongorong trainer John Little and his partners Liz Newberry and Kevin Mullan.
Purchased by the trio in April this year, the daughter of Dyna Double One and Springvale Cool has won nine races since then at Tara Raceway, tomorrow’s final probably her biggest test to date although she does have a good record from box seven.
Springvale Alysa holds off Cryer’s Plugger in the second heat of the Christmas Cup.
Mortlake-based Peter Crawley who trained Zuma Creek, a finalist in last year’s cup, will be hoping for more luck this year with the dog’s younger half-brother, Bomber Creek, a son of Magic Sprite and Skye Creek.
Bomber Creek, not blessed with great box manners, chased home Springvale Alysa and Cryer’s Plugger last week. Crawley, however, would not be too upset with drawing box one in the final especially as his three starts from the inside have all resulted in wins.
Leading trainer Tracie Price, of Compton, will be chasing his third Christmas Cup – Who’s Doing What and Fear The Rascal successful in 2014 and 2015 – with Banjo Lass, winner of last month’s Newman McDonnell Memorial final, and Swift Limes, both greyhounds possessing plenty of early pace.
Dean Fennell gives Ramified a well-deserved drink after his Santa Sprint heat win last Sunday.
Portland trainer Nicole Stanley, who landed the cup quinella last year with Hit The Runway and Fiorelli Rose, will be pinning her hopes this year on Bereluke from box four.
And Apsley veteran Tom Cryer, after reaching the 2015 final with Spring Gun x Cryer’s Midget litter brothers Cryer’s Ricky and Cryer’s Fred and again in 2017 with another litter brother in Cryer’s Jack, is well represented this year by younger full brother Cryer’s Plugger.
A younger half-sister to Cryer’s Plugger in Cryer’s Harper will be chasing her fourth consecutive win for Cryer when jumping from box three in the Santa Sprint final (400 m).
By Spud Regis, Cryer’s Harper quickly worked into second spot behind Another Scenario in last Sunday’s first heat of the Open event, finding the front turning for home and holding out a fast finishing Faster Bolt to win by three-quarters of a length in 23.04 seconds.
Faster Bolt, now back in Mount Gambier and being trained by part-owner Ken Gillespie, was last away from box six before making up a heap of ground. The son of Milldean Panther and Galactic Rumball has drawn box six again in Friday’s final and once again will be mighty hard to hold out.
Another good story this year has been that of giveaway greyhound Ramified, owned and trained at Glencoe by Dean Fennell and into the Santa final after finishing hard along the rails in the second heat, grabbing a narrow victory in a three-way go with George Regis and Maunganui Magic.
By Magic Sprite out of Hey Sexy Lady, Ramified has won eight races at Tara Raceway this year. He’s drawn box five in the final and is one of two finalists for Fennell – Hard Call drawn in box eight after finishing fourth behind Cryer’s Harper.
Spinning Jakit pictured after his Christmas Challenge heat win (600 m) for Cap Abbott.
If there’s a dog drawn to win the Santa Sprint then it’s the red runner Lektra Guiseppe, trained at Penola by Damien Smith – box six doing him no favours last week when he scraped into the final in fourth placing behind Ramified.
But he made up many lengths in the run home, eventually going down by only 1¼ lengths and now, after drawing box one, looking an undeniable chance in what is a pretty smart 400 metre final.
And Edenhope trainer Cap Abbott will be hoping to wrap up what started out as a good week at Angle Park on Monday night when his 38 kilogram chaser Big Casey defeated Aston Abbott. Now there was an omen quinella!
Abbott looks to hold a strong hand in Friday’s Christmas Challenge final (600 m) with Spinning Jakit, an all the way winner in last Sunday’s first heat and Pool Hall chasing home Sketchy Gun in the second heat.
Meningie trainer Tim Richards landed his first Tara Raceway double after Sketchy Gun won his way through to the Christmas Challenge final (600 m) and Blue Blaze won his first race for his new trainer in the Produce Store Stake (512 m) at Sunday afternoon’s meeting.
Sketchy Gun defeats Pool Hall in the second heat of the Christmas Challenge (600 m).
Sketchy Gun, a warm $2.15 favourite in the second heat on the back of an Angle Park 600 metre win last month, tracked Lady Pippa until the home turn where he unleashed a strong finishing burst to hold out Pool Hall by 1½ lengths in 35.63 seconds.
By Brett Lee out of Motown Girl, the black dog was purchased by Richards back in May 2016 for $1000 from Allan Ivers of Newcastle after two unplaced runs at Muswellbrook and Tamworth.
Tim (left) and Brad Richards pictured with Blue Blaze.
Ninety starts later and Sketchy Gun has now won 15 races, run 33 minor placings and picked up more than $27,000 in stakemoney, the switch to middle-distance racing in June this year resulting in four Angle Park wins and two at Mount Gambier.
Former WA chaser Blue Blaze, after two unplaced runs at Angle Park last month for Richards, was always on the pace in Sunday’s grade five event, taking over the running into the home straight and holding out Azumi Striker to win by three-quarters of a length in 30.25 seconds.
A winner at Cannington, Mandurah and Northam, Blue Blaze was purchased by Richards off an internet greyhound site early last month after the son of Banjo Boy and Unquestionably had found his way to Victoria.
And according to Richards, the win had been completely unexpected.
“He was very slow away in the two runs he had at Angle Park so I figured I had nothing to lose by giving him some box work leading up to Sunday’s race. Maybe it worked, I don’t really know, but he did come out a bit better and that certainly didn’t do him any harm,” he said.
First starter Bob Square Pants kicked off last Wednesday’s time-graded meeting at Tara Raceway in blistering fashion for Tarpeena owner-trainer Dita Mitchell.
Bob Square Pants runs quick time to win the Produce Store Maiden Stake (400 m) at Tara Raceway last Wednesday.
Leading all the way from box six in the Produce Store Maiden Stake (400 metres), Bob Square Pants became only the third short-course maiden winner at Tara Raceway to break 23 seconds when running out a 10¼ length winner over Serendipity Star in 22.96 seconds.
He is now the second-fastest maiden 400 metre winner at the track, the Tracie Price trained Wise Stella running 22.89 seconds in July after Faster Bolt had run the previous fastest time of 22.98 seconds in October last year.
Making last week’s effort even more remarkable was the fact that Bob Square Pants had only ever trialled solo over 277 metres prior to his first start, Mitchell saying that at one stage she was of the opinion that the sizeable 36 kilogram black dog would never race.
Dita Mitchell was all smiles after Bob Square Pants’ big win.
“He was off the scene due to injury for something like six months,” she said. “I really didn’t think he would race because he was a real mess so it was a terrific thrill to see him finally hit the track at three years of age.”
Bob Square Pants is by Banjo Boy out of four-race Victorian provincial winner Jeanie’s Wish, a daughter of Go Wild Jack x Groupie that was picked up as a five-month-old pup for $100 by Mitchell.
Go Wild Jack, a winner of 23 races and close to $90,000 in stakemoney, was owned by Kevin Ward, of Mount Moriac, who landed a double at Tara Raceway last Wednesday with Deflection and Sandy Lagoon. Groupie, on the other hand, retired a maiden after 39 starts.
Mitchell, who relocated from Victoria to Tarpeena two years ago, has done well with the litter in the six months that she has been training – Bob Square Pants the last of her four to win at Tara Raceway this year, following on from Jeanie’s Gem, One Mad Wish and Red Hat Ruby.
Meanwhile, Standing Bear, at start number 130, won his first race in 16 months when successful in the Winmore Greyhound Kennels Stake (400 m) for Donna Beasley of Mount Cottrell who trains the brindle dog in partnership with Paul Cusack.
Standing Bear (No. 5) wins a keenly-contested Winmore Greyhound Kennels Stake (400 m).
Having his first start at the track, Standing Bear overcame a slow start from box five to finish strongly in the run to the line, defeating Serendipity Man and Alouette Jack by the narrowest of margins in 23.34 seconds.
A winner of a total of six races, the son of Cosmic Chief and nine-race Victorian provincial winner Mandy Shiraz has now won twice since relocating to Mount Cottrell.
But despite being kept busy on the track, Standing Bear also contested 11 coursing stakes this year, a winner and runner-up at Lang Lang and also a winner at Longwood.
