According to Greyhound Racing SA records, it was back in 2009, after relocating the previous year from Branxholme in Victoria, that Tracie Price trained his first SA winner.
And by the time yesterday’s seventh race had been run and won at Tara Raceway those GRSA records had the Compton-based trainer sitting on 999 winners.
The sense of occasion had not escaped Price. But as right-hand man Kevin Patzel was leading Compton Ruby to the boxes for the following race, the Hyland Fox Stake (512 metres), Mount Gambier’s leading trainer was on his way to Angle Park with his kennel star Giant’s Flash.
Compton Ruby, a daughter of My Redeemer and Headline, did the right thing, though, scoring an easy six length win in a tidy 29.98 seconds.
Price, of course, had been training greyhounds long before 2009. In fact, his first winner was in 1988 when Proud Priscilla, a son of Proud Paul and Priscilla, won a Juvenile Stake over 450 metres at Warrnambool.
“That was in my first year as a trainer when I finished with 19 winners,” he recalled. “One of my most successful runners that year was Fullkiri Kate who won seven races from 13 starts.”
Bred at Serviceton by Claude Merrett, Fullkiri Kate boasted outstanding bloodlines, being a granddaughter of Border Fullkiri who in turn was a litter sister to SA superstars Bristol Sue and Ascapella Miss.
In an involvement spanning almost 35 years, Price rates his best dog as Giant’s Flash. And the son of Banjo Boy x Navada Flame showed why last night at Angle Park when registering his third successive win over 595 metres at the city track.
“Not only has Giant’s Flash been a terrific dog for us but when he goes away to race at Angle Park he’s also been great promotion for greyhound racing in Mount Gambier. And I’m certainly proud to be a Mount Gambier trainer.”