Unless there are two scratchings in Sunday night’s Group 3 Darwin Cup (537 m), Rockoon will contest the consolation before returning to Mount Gambier on Monday with his trainer Tracie Price.
The white and black son of Peter Rocket and Raya Riot, after finishing strongly to grab third spot in the final heat of the cup last Sunday night, was the seventh fastest of the four heats, running a time of 31.92 seconds.
However, only the first two in each heat qualified for the $25,000-to-the-winner final, Rockoon listed as the second reserve.
Price said that Rockoon had pulled up a treat after last Sunday night’s unlucky third and that he had been pleased with the run.
Meanwhile, at Tara Raceway on Sunday afternoon, there looks to be plenty of interest in the Klaassens Contractors Stake (512 m) with Charlton trainer Kevin Ashton’s China Catch ‘Em, a brilliant 10 length winner last week in 30.05 seconds, chasing his fourth successive win.
The last time Geelong greyhound trainer Mick Vaughan was at Tara Raceway with Shep was at the beginning of July when he ran into Rockoon on the day he decided to break the 512 metre track record.
And while on Sunday Rockoon was 3500 kilometres away tackling a heat of the Darwin Cup, Shep still found himself up against some fair sort of dogs, not the least being Tuggeragh, a winner of 32 races and needing only a win in the winningformula.net.au Mixed Stake (512 m) to take his stake earnings to more than $100,000.
Mick Vaughan with Shep, an impressive Mixed Stake winner at Tara Raceway on Sunday.
A winner at Tara Raceway last October, the 4½-year-old Shep came into the race on the back of a win in a Veteran race at Shepparton 10 days ago, but as one of the outsiders at $11 in the five-dog field that form was not really expected to hold up against the majority of his rivals.
However, Sunday was going to be his litter’s day. Lining up from box six at start number 105, the black son of the imported Westmead Osprey and Eily McMahon went out of the first turn in front and was never headed, holding off Blitz And Bolt to win by a length in a personal best time of 30.11 seconds.
This was the 14th time Shep had won, other success coming at The Meadows, Warrnambool, Geelong, Traralgon, Ballarat and Warragul – his durability and versatility perhaps inherited from Eily McMahon who only ever whelped the one litter.
By Trewly Special, the city-winning Eily McMahon went around on 80 occasions for 15 wins and 24 minor placings over distances ranging from 450 metres to 658 metres.
Eily West, the first leg of a winning double for Mick Vaughan and the Westmead Osprey x Eily McMahon litter at Tara Raceway on Sunday.
Earlier in the day, Shep’s litter sister and kennelmate, Eily West, led all the way from box three to defeat the Cap Abbott trained Blonde Barbados by 1¼ lengths in 23.58 seconds in the Greyhound-Data.com Stake, the first heat of a grade five over 400 metres.
Although this was her first win at Tara Raceway, Eily West – another durable and versatile chaser with 84 starts to her name – had previously won 15 races at the same tracks as Shep.
And Sunday’s double was the littermates’ third, Shep and Eily West also successful on March 2, 2016 at The Meadows and again on August 19, 2016 at Geelong.
Vaughan, who also bred and owns the littermates, said he was now keen to breed with Eily West, a winner of three races in the city and close to $50,000 in stakemoney.
Calling the races on Sunday was Ray Fewings who is generally good for an on-air quote.
As runners were being paraded prior to the running of the first grade five heat, Fewings said he wasn’t too sure how Cap Abbott would handle a blonde in Barbados. Quick to respond, the silver-haired Abbott, 75, was adamant that he would have no trouble in coping!
Mount Gambier 512 metre track record holder Rockoon has missed out on a Darwin Cup finals berth after running a luckless third in the fourth and final heat at Winnellie Park on Sunday night.
Owned by Keith Hellmuth and trained at Compton by Tracie Price, Rockoon was a $2.25 favourite but after jumping well from box eight found trouble at the first turn.
From then on the white and black son of Peter Rocket and Raya Riot faced a huge task to finish in the first two and qualify for next Sunday’s Group 3 Darwin Cup final (537 m).
In the end he made up a stack of ground to finish three lengths from the winner Weeona Jimmy who ran the quickest of the four heats – 31.70 seconds – Rockoon now likely to be second reserve for the final.
Meanwhile, earlier in the day, Price’s nicely-bred Lika Missile impressed when winning the Winmore Greyhound Kennels Maiden (512 m) at Tara Raceway by six lengths in 30.25 seconds.
By Nitro Burst out of O Cee Ya, the November 2016 black dog will now be set for the forthcoming Peter Rocket Winter Classic, for dogs and bitches whelped on or after July 1, 2016, heats of which will be run at Tara Raceway on Sunday, August 19.
Trainers Richard Boehm and Sandra Elmes, based in the Victorian goldfields town of Dunolly, landed their first winners at Tara Raceway when Avatar Blaze and Serendipity Gold were successful at Friday’s time-graded meeting.
Avatar Blaze, a giveaway greyhound that had previously won at Horsham and Shepparton for Boehm, looked to have the leaders covered a fair way out in the Trackside Meats Stake (400 metres) before finishing strongly in the home straight for a two length win in 23.66 seconds.
Richard Boehm pictured with Serendipity Gold who is trained by his partner Sandra Elmes.
By US sire KC And All, the white and fawn dog is out of maiden bitch Sabroni Mist whose dam, Miss Elly Mint, won 44 races and close to $200,000 in stakemoney.
The Elmes-trained Serendipity Gold opened his winning account at the track with a dominant performance in the Klaassens Contractors Stake (512 m), taking the lead going out of the first turn before racing away to 4¼ length win in a quick 30.12 seconds.
The winner, which has now won eight races, is owned by Boehm who also bred the son of Kinloch Brae and Helga – a bitch he won five races with.
Elmes and Boehm also combined to run second in the South Eastern Hotel Stake (600 m) with outsider Blondy Two who went into the race as a maiden and with six third placings from 26 starts.
A give away after initially displaying a reluctance to chase the lure, the fawn bitch was well off the pace mid-race but made up plenty of ground in the run home to go down to Last Princess by only three-quarters of a length in 35.71 seconds.
The SA-bred daughter of Spring Gun x As It Goes, Blondy Two is a litter sister to He’s Loaded, a winner of 10 races, along with 23 minor placings, for $74,000 in stakemoney.
Training greyhounds for nine years, Elmes and Boehm’s success came at their third trip to Mount Gambier.
“I reckon Tara Raceway is greyhound racing’s best kept secret,” Boehm said. “It’s a laid-back atmosphere with friendly people, while the track and surroundings are great. For sure, we will continue to race here.”
George Regis opened his SA winning account for part-owner Heather Perry (left). Kerry Hawker handled the winner for trainer Noel Perry.
George Regis, in Mount Gambier with his owners Noel and Heather Perry since June, opened his SA winning account in 23.27 seconds when too strong for Quedos and Sweet Spud in the Gambier Vets Stake (400 m).
Purchased as a pup by the Perrys, the win continued Noel Perry’s successful introduction to the training ranks, George Regis previously being based in Victoria where he won four races at Geelong and Ballarat.
By the Group 1-winning Spud Regis out of Sky Fly High, a winner of 18 races and $68,000 in stakemoney, the black and white dog was also originally part-owned by Heather Perry’s brother, Brian Treloar, who raced the sire.
But it hasn’t been all plain sailing for George Regis, as Heather Perry pointed out after Friday’s win.
“There have been toe issues with him. In fact, he’s had a toe removed and we’re now hoping that he can hold up to the rigours of racing. So far, though, he’s been handling himself pretty well.”
In late June, Ima Maldini put the writing on the wall for a win at Tara Raceway when leading for a long way before just going down to Ginger Road over 512 metres.
And Coleraine trainer Sindy Colpoys was back on Friday with Ima Maldini, the black bitch leading all the way from box six in the Produce Store Stake (512 m) to score by 1¾ lengths in 30.20 seconds.
Knocka’s Moment was the first leg of a winning double for the Knocka Norris x Who’s Doing What litter. He’s pictured with Elisha Antunov.
Colpoys races the winner in partnership with her son Michael Kemp, the family successful at Tara Raceway with litter brother Villa Maldini – husband Steve the trainer on that occasion but currently recovering from a couple of knee replacements – at the end of last year.
By Dyna Villa out of Mizzy Maldini, Ima Maldini is one of a litter of 11, whelped in April 2016, which so far has produced nine individual winners.
Tracie Price’s treble on Friday included wins by litter brothers Knocka’s Moment and Smart Marty, the litter of five by Knocka Norris x Who’s Doing What all now having won.
Knocka’s Moment, having his first race start, was an impressive seven length winner of the Laser Electrical Maiden Stake (400 m) while Smart Marty led all the way from box six in the Gordon Refrigeration Stake (400 m) to defeat a fast finishing Azumi Twister in a best of day 23.19 seconds.
The litter double saw Who’s Doing What move two wins clear of Azumi Touch (the dam of Azumi Twister) in the leading dams’ list.
Tara Raceway 512 metre record holder Rockoon trialled in outstanding fashion in Darwin on Tuesday in readiness for the Darwin Cup heats (537 m) on Sunday night.
Rockoon pictured taking it easy in the Top End after a top trial on Tuesday.
Trialling over the cup distance, Rockoon clocked 31.56 seconds which, according to Compton trainer Tracie Price, was “super”.
“Admittedly, this was a solo trial but at last Sunday’s race meeting Del Rey, who is running in a cup heat, won the Chief Minister’s Cup in 32.10 seconds,” he said.
Four Darwin Cup heats will be run on Sunday night with the first two placegetters from each heat advancing to the $25,000-to-the-winner Group 3 final which will be run on Sunday week.
Rockoon, a winner of $126,000 and the highest stakemoney earner of all the contenders, has drawn box eight in the final heat which is scheduled to be run at 8.38 p.m. (SA time).
Price, who arrived in Darwin with Rockoon on Saturday afternoon, said the white and black dog had settled in well.
“We’re based at a lovely spot called Bees Creek which is about 30 kilometres outside Darwin. And I tell you what, ‘Rocky’ has really taken over the place, to the extent that he has even claimed his own bedroom.”
