THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4 (Time-Graded): Nominations closed. SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7: Nominations close at 9 a.m. (SA time) on Tuesday, December 2 with GRSA. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11: No meeting. SUNDAY, DECEMBER 14: Nominations close at 9 a.m. (SA time) on Tuesday, December 9 with GRSA.
WEDNESDAY (9.30) AND SATURDAY (9.30) TRIAL MORNINGS/FOUR-DOG PUPPY TRIALS: Please book through trialbooker.com by 3 p.m. on the day prior. SATISFACTORY TRIALS: Please contact Barry Shepheard.
CLUB MANAGER: Tim Lewis 0407 974 471
Email: admin@mountgambiergreyhounds.com.au
SUNDAY’S DA’LENI MEATS MEMBERS MEAT TRAY DRAW: Kevin Jones (No. 41).
Cadillac Magic defeats Chief Pow Wow in the Gordon Refrigeration Masters Stake (305 m) at Tara Raceway last Sunday.
Among the highlights of last Sunday’s Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club 12-race meeting at Tara Raceway were training doubles by Kerry Hawker, Robert Chuck and Robert Halliday.
For Edenhope-based Hawker, her two winners at the meeting – Cadillac Landau and Cadillac Magic – brought up her second double for the month after Cadillac Ragtop and Cadillac Belle had won on June 1.
And on April 3 she had been successful when landing a treble with Cadillac Lloyd, Kerry’s Cadillac and Cadillac Landau.
Lining up from box five in last Sunday’s Winning Post Supplies Stake (400 m), Cadillac Landau, a daughter of the imported Premier Fantasy and top 10 local brood bitch Pamela Rocks, made a real mess of the grade five race.
Flying the start from box five, she led all the way and brought up her 16th win when defeating outsider Saint Bree by seven lengths in 23.40 seconds.
A couple of races later Hawker was back in business again, this time with Cadillac Magic, engaged in the Gordon Refrigeration Masters Stake (305 m) for greyhounds 3¾ years and older.
By Fernando Bale, and an older half-sister to Hawker’s previous winner, Cadillac Magic led all the way from box one, holding on for her 10th win when defeating Chief Pow Wow by a half-length in 17.94 seconds.
Galactic Artemis, back after a six-week break, found winning form again for Compton owner-trainer Robert Chuck in the Trackside Pet Meats Pick 6 Stake (305 m).
Away well from box two, the daughter of Blazin Wildfire and Galactic Athena fought out a keen battle in the home straight with Forgotten Fury before running out a length winner in 17.76 seconds.
Galactic Jinn was the second leg of a double for local trainer Robert Chuck when defeating Big Boy Jett.
In the following race, the Produce Store Stake (400 m), Chuck landed his double when Galactic Jinn found the front off the back straight before running out a two length winner over Big Boy Jett in 23.40 seconds.
Galactic Jinn is by Feral Franky out of Galactic Horizon, a litter sister to Galactic Athena, while Big Boy Jett – trained at Koroit by Peter Keane – is by Blue Moon Rising and a half-brother to Galactic Artemis.
Portland trainer Robert Halliday’s good year continues at Tara Raceway after 512 metre wins last Sunday with litter brothers Tattooist and High Cube. The two wins came on the back of two previous doubles and a treble at the local track earlier this year.
By Flying Ricciardo out of Miami Fernando, Tattooist was always on the pace in the Commercial Hotel Stake before finishing strongly in the home straight to defeat a gallant Anna Rhode by three-quarters of a length in 30.17 seconds.
High Cube wrapped up the day for Halliday in the Da’Leni Meats Mixed Stake when leading all the way from box two and defeating Penny Pinto by 3¾ lengths in a best of day 29.84 seconds.
But the day wasn’t quite over for the long-time trainer who is also one of the Mount Gambier Tara Tipsters – local Tara Raceway participants who throw their support behind Mount Gambier-based charities by way of a twice-weekly tipping competition at the track.
Robert Halliday ensured his Tara Tipsters win last Sunday didn’t go unnoticed.
Now, it’s fair to say that Halliday’s tipping talents, in the five years or so the Tara Tipsters have been in operation, aren’t normally all that flash.
So, it came as somewhat of a shock to all and sundry when after last Sunday’s Tara Tipsters final tally was completed that Halliday had actually turned out to be the top tipster of the day – for the first time ever.
But for all that, he’s been a great supporter of the Tara Tipsters pretty well since its inception and as such, like his greyhounds Tattooist and High Cube, this was a win well deserved.
And the way they are currently racing, the Halliday pair may now find themselves lining up in next month’s Federal Hotel Anniversary Cup over 512 metres at Tara Raceway. Heats will be run on Sunday, July 13 with the record $10,000 prize money final a week later.
First run in 1985 at Glenburnie, the Anniversary Cup was won by the Hazel Lane trained Kenzel Lad who won the race again the following year when trained by Connie Miller.
In 2007 Halliday trained the winner of the Anniversary Cup, Bee Good (Scottish Express x Itza Rule), and again the following year with Tickets Please (Elite State x Itza Rule).
The remote race callers based in NSW referred to him as William Wilson when calling the greyhound races from Tara Raceway here in Mount Gambier. But to those who were associated with him on a twice-weekly basis at the track he was simply Monty.
This week participants are mourning his death, after a short illness.
Monty’s involvement in greyhound racing went back to 2008 when the former harness racing trainer took possession of a greyhound called Midnight Madness.
She had come down from Bundaberg as a giveaway and was his first greyhound. She also was his first winner when successful at Tara Raceway over 277 metres in September 2009. And right up to the time of his death he had pretty well been working with giveaway greyhounds.
Monty’s best year had been in 2021 when he trained 37 winners. It was also the year that he trained his only treble – Santino Gold, Saint Charlotte and Sianna Magic – on September 9.
Because most of his greyhounds had been giveaways, he always reckoned every winner he trained was a highlight. But he did win the Ivor Dowdell Memorial in 2017 with Lektra Excess and the time-honoured John Reid Memorial in 2019 with Cimarron Magic.
Based on a five-acre property at Mumbannar (30 kilometres east of Mount Gambier), Monty made countless trips to the Tara Raceway slipping track to gallop his greyhounds. And his wife, Jen, worked tirelessly behind the scenes, rarely missing a meeting when the dogs were racing.
Greyhound racing, of course, will continue on a twice-weekly basis at Tara Raceway. But missing will be Monty Wilson. And the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club will be all the poorer for that.
Hold Fast Bella was the second leg of a treble for Myrniong trainer Mark Giddings at Tara Raceway’s Thursday meeting.
With Mount Gambier’s Thursday time-graded meetings at Tara Raceway graded on a worst to best basis it was no surprise that the Myrniong-based Hold Fast Bella ended up a reserve in the Todd’s Photographics Stake (512 metres).
But, as luck would have it, she gained a start from box one following the scratching of Awesome Alpaca. And with some pretty handy recent form at Geelong and Shepparton she was always going to be hard to beat.
That’s how the race panned out, the fawn daughter of Orson Allen and Houso Delight leading all the way and eventually running out a 5¾ lengths winner over Premier Slice in 29.82 seconds – the quicker of the two 512 metre races on the day.
Hold Fast Bella is raced by the Chris Reynolds managed Pup To Track Seven Syndicate and trained by Mark Giddings who has several of the Pup To Track Greyhound Racing & Syndications dogs in his kennels.
Mark Giddings with Old Mate Paddy after his win in the Williams Crane Hire Stake (400 m).
“They’ve been really good with their syndicates and sponsorship of greyhound racing,” said the 28-year-old Giddings who has trained the winner for the entirety of her 27-start career.
“And the syndicate has enjoyed a good few weeks with Hold Fast Bella, winning three races in April. I was particularly pleased with the way she ran out the 512 metres today. Hopefully she can now go on with the job.”
The win was the second leg of a treble for Giddings after Old Mate Paddy kicked off the successful day with an all-the-way win over False Alarm in 23.23 seconds in the Williams Crane Hire Stake (400 m).
By Mepunga Blazer out of Miss Tron, Old Mate Paddy is a litter brother to Titan Blazer who was one of the top fancies for this year’s Mount Gambier Cup.
“I took over Old Mate Paddy only recently after his previous trainer, Daniel Gibbons, was looking for more kennel space,” Giddings said. “Look, he’s certainly no Titan Blazer but he is fast early and suited to a bend start so I thought the Mount Gambier track would be a good fit for him.”
Jack’s Rose’s win in the Klaassens Contractors Stake (400 m) brought up Giddings’ treble and was his best day at Tara Raceway since Honey Edition and Enchanting were successful there 12 months ago.
Still looking for her first win this year, the daughter of Shima Bar and She’s A Rebel let loose down the back before running away to a 6¾ length win over Grand Warrior in 23.78 seconds.
Giddings is still best known for the success he achieved with Lioness Lulu, a daughter of Big Daddy Cool and Jackie’s Capri that he purchased for $2000 after she had won a maiden over 500 metres at Bendigo.
All told, she raced on 77 occasions, winning nine races, running 30 minor placings and earning stakemoney of close to $150,000.
Highlighting Lioness Lulu’s racing career was the 2016 Group 1 Association Cup (720 m) at Wentworth Park. She was a $24 chance when defeating Whittaker in a heat but much shorter a week later when winning the $75,000-to-the-winner final.
Giddings said Lioness Lulu’s first litter, by Fabregas and whelped in August 2020, is at pre-training stage while a second litter by Aussie Infrared was whelped last November.
Meanwhile, Bungaloo Anne’s impressive win over 400 metres last Sunday had Kongorong trainer John Little hoping for more of the same when she lined up in Thursday’s Metal Worx Stake (400 m).
Hammerstein trifecta. From left: Hokkaido Miss (Shaun Baulch), Lektra Nick (Paul Hammerstein) and Lektra Sammy (Doug Hammerstein) after the running of the Commercial Hotel Stake (400 m).
And while it wasn’t to be – the 2021 Christmas Cup winner finished fourth behind Crackerjack Lach – Little’s disappointment was to be short-lived given the effort four races later of litter sister Bungaloo Danni in the Gambier Vets Stake (512 m).
Chasing her first win since June last year, the daughter of Pure Titanium and Bungaloo Sunset settled in second spot down the back behind Bourne Brett before taking the lead turning for home and running out a 3¼ lengths winner over Saint Sunshine in 29.95 seconds.
For the father and son team of Doug and Paul Hammerstein of Ararat, Crackerjack Lach was the start of a good day when he found the rails down the back before storming home for a half-length win over Maximum Zeal in 23.23 seconds.
The win was his 18th at start number 104 with trainer Paul Hammerstein, who has had the February 2019 whelping since his first win, labelling him “a good, honest dog”.
“He’s up in grade on Victorian tracks and starting to find it tough but over here if he gets a clear run like he did today then he’s always hard to beat,” he said.
The Hammersteins then combined to run the trifecta in the Commercial Hotel Stake (400 m) with Lektra Nick, Hokkaido Miss and Lektra Sammy who were in the first three throughout.
Bungaloo Danni quickly found the front in Thursday’s Gambier Vets Stake (512 m) before going on to an impressive win over Saint Sunshine (No. 8) in a time of 29.95 seconds.
