Local sporting identity Kevin “KD” Douglas recently received recognition from the SA greyhound racing industry when receiving an award for Outstanding Service to the Industry.

The award was presented by Greyhound Racing SA Industry Director Ray Fewings at the Angle Park 2021 Greyhound of the Year awards night.

While it’s fair to say that Douglas certainly wouldn’t have been chasing any awards, his voluntary contribution in terms of assisting at feature race meetings and social functions at the Mount Gambier track over a number of years has been outstanding.

Also well known for his local charitable work, back in 2020 he introduced the “Catch for Cash” scheme at Tara Raceway. This resulted in trainers placing a donation in the charity jar in lieu of paying catchers who were supportive of the initiative.

Complementing “Catch for Cash” has been the twice-weekly tipping competition known as the Tara Tipsters. Since Douglas’s initiatives have been introduced at the track, the Sunset Community Kitchen, Foodbank, and the Visually Impaired Club of Mount Gambier collectively have received $6000.

Next month, representatives from the Grantville Court Salvation Army Thrift Shop will be on track to receive a cheque after the running of the Tara Tipsters Thrift Shop Stake.

And in what was a really nice gesture, Fewings, in recognition of Douglas and his fellow Mount Gambier participants’ charitable efforts, donated $200 to the charity jar.

---

One greyhound that enjoyed a leisurely day back at Tara Raceway yesterday was the David Peckham trained Aston Olenna, the inaugural 305 metre track record holder with a time of 17.49 seconds.

The 37 kilogram fawn dog has been off the scene since early December when, as a $2 favourite, he fell in the SA final of the National Straight Track Championship at Murray Bridge.

Recently, at the Angle Park Greyhound of the Year dinner, he was announced the 2021 SA Short Course Greyhound of the Year.

Yesterday, the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club’s 2021 Ian Badger Trainer of the Year award was presented to Peckham and the 2021 Mount Gambier Greyhound of the Year award to Cap Abbott’s Another Pick.

Given that Aston Olenna had commenced his racing career at Tara Raceway prior to winning the Murray Bridge Straight Track Championship and the SA Straight Track Cup, the local club extended an invitation to Peckham to bring the dog along.

Aston Olenna’s Short Course GOTY win, as well as inclusion in the GRSA 100 Club (as was Tracie Price), wrapped up a big year for Peckham who ended the Tara Raceway year with 148 wins, 107 seconds and 102 thirds.

At the presentation, Peckham made special mention of owners Ray Borda (Aston greyhounds) and the Nineofus Syndicate. But he also acknowledged all the owners who had contributed to make his a record-breaking year.

And in a year that had seen plenty of kilometres clocked up, he thanked Christine Yourgules for her help at the Allendale East kennels and her assistance when travelling to away tracks.

In a nice family touch, Peckham invited his sister Helen Slape, her husband Leon, and their father Allen to join him for the presentation day.

Allen, also a former leading trainer, was awarded life membership of the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club in 1998.

“It must have been 30-odd years ago but I still remember him coming home all excited one day and telling me that chief steward Michael Robinson had just granted him a trainer’s licence,” the proud father said.

---

Compton-based leading greyhound trainer Tracie Price, still chasing his first Mount Gambier Cup, looks set to play a major role in this year’s inaugural Group 3 event.

Another four winners – Zoe’s Way, Starlight Dusty, Giant’s Flash and Rhonda Lily – at yesterday’s Tara Raceway Category 2 meeting marked the return of the 512 metre track record holder Giant’s Flash.

The son of Banjo Boy x Navada Flame defeated Phil Lenehan’s Summer Classic contender Lektra Rhino by four lengths in the Klaassens Contractors Stake (512 m) in 29.39 seconds – three lengths outside the record.

Later, Price said he was hoping to have his strongest-ever Mount Gambier Cup line-up which could also include Giant’s Flash’s litter sister Minnie Banjo, the 400 metre record holder at Tara Raceway.

“Look, she’s very fast early and after a recent post-to-post trial here I’d be surprised if she can’t run out a pretty quick 512 metres,” he said.

And from a Mount Gambier Cup point of view, Worrolong part-owner and trainer Steve Bartholomew was also more than happy with Mary Bridget’s win in the Progreyhoundtips.com Stake (512 m).

Having her first run over the distance since the end of October, the brindle bitch was always travelling like a winner, eventually running away with four lengths to spare over Rotate in 29.70 seconds.

“I thought she did the job pretty well and there should be further improvement yet. We’ll continue to monitor her progress, but at this stage we have the cup in mind,” said Bartholomew, who trained Galactic Athena, winner of the 2019 Mount Gambier Cup.

---

For the second time in three years, greyhounds owned and trained by Edenhope-based Captain Abbott have won the Mount Gambier Greyhound of the Year award.

Yesterday, Another Pick received the 2021 award after winning 12 races over 400 metres and 512 metres at Tara Raceway.

By Unlawful Entry out of Proud Fantasy, the white and blue bitch was purchased by Abbott as a pup from Pyramid Hill-based Judith Condo and John Caulfield – also the breeders of Mount Gambier record holders Giant’s Flash and Minnie Banjo.

Abbott wasn’t too far off the mark when selecting Another Pick who overall has now won 17 races.

In fact, he wasn’t too far off the mark either back in 1974 when as a Dandenong panelbeater he took out a lease on a New Zealand greyhound called Kwik Metal.

Trained by Abbott, Kwik Metal won the final of the 1974 Melbourne Cup after overcoming a slow start and then unleashing a paralysing burst down the back straight.

In more recent times, he enjoyed a terrific run with one of his own breed in the city-winning White Arrow (Tina’s Jo x Cape Arrow) who was successful on 25 occasions. Later, another city winner was Manila Express who all told won 18 races.

Then there was the durable Black Spring, the 2019 Mount Gambier Greyhound of the Year. A winner of 24 races, by the time he retired after 136 starts he had won more than $37,000 in stakemoney.

And Abbott continues to look to the future. Together with Kerry Hawker he’s still rearing plenty of youngsters and breeding the odd litter or two.

While it’s close to 50 years since the last one, who knows, there might even be another Melbourne Cup winner waiting to be discovered over Edenhope way.

---

With the final of the Carlin & Gazzard MG Mount Gambier Cup (512 metres) to be run on Sunday, April 10, Greyhound Racing SA’s announcement today that the event has been elevated to Group 3 status comes as great news for the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club.

Run continuously since 1981, the Mount Gambier Cup assumed Listed status in 2018 and carried first prizemoney of $15,000 when won by the Brian Weis trained Xtreme Caution. The elevation to Group 3 status will see winning connections receive $25,000.

The Murray Bridge Cup final, which will be run on Sunday, March 20, will also assume Group 3 status. The two clubs will now come into line with the Gawler Greyhound Racing Club which runs its Group 3 Gawler Cup in November.

“It is certainly a great privilege to have each of our country cups achieve Group 3 status,” GRSA Chairman Grantley Stevens said.

“It’s a terrific selling point for each of the clubs and will showcase excellent racing in each of the series due to the quality local and interstate greyhounds competing.”

And the two bonuses that had previously been in place for the Murray Bridge and Mount Gambier Cups will continue – a $5000 bonus if the same greyhound is successful and a $5000 trainer bonus if the same trainer wins both cups (not necessarily the same greyhound).

The inaugural Mount Gambier Cup, run at Glenburnie over 479 metres, was won by Newman McDonnell and Joan Cruise’s Tara Topar. Winner of the final cup run at the original track was Col Sims’ Colin Ian in 1996.

Current race-day lure driver Ralph Patzel’s Ashanti Gem was the first winner at the Lake Terrace East venue. Since then, there has been a mix of local, Adelaide and Victorian trainers to have won the cup. Last year’s winner was Zipping Zarbo, trained at Lara by Deb Coleman.

Mount Gambier club president Noel Perry said the announcement regarding the cup’s Group 3 status was terrific news.

“It was only recently that the club, in conjunction with Carlin & Gazzard MG sales manager Adrian Jones, finalised a major sponsorship deal with the long-time local award-winning new and used car dealership.

“Carlin & Gazzard MG couldn’t have come on board at better time as far as sponsorship of the Mount Gambier Cup is concerned. As it is, the cup is already well-regarded but Group 3 status will undoubtedly take it to a new level.

“These are certainly exciting times for greyhound racing in the south-east. In July last year our Sunday race meetings received a significant prizemoney boost through the introduction of Category 2 status. Now we find ourselves gearing up for our first Group 3 event.

“And with a significant refurbishment of the clubrooms to be undertaken this year, there’s certainly plenty to look forward to for both patrons and participants.”

---