It’s now two years since Portland owner-trainer Robert Halliday was successful with Compton Robbie in the Peter Whitehead Memorial Maiden (400 metres) at the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club’s Christmas meeting at Tara Raceway.

As it turned out Halliday was unable to make the trip over but fellow Portland owner-trainer Brian Weis handled the job with aplomb and delivered the trophy safely back to Portland.

Halliday was back at Tara Raceway last Sunday for this year’s heats of the Whitehead Memorial – this time with a couple of well-bred first-starter brindle dogs by Flying Ricciardo out of Miami Fernando’s third litter.

Actually, categorising the pair as simply well-bred is possibly selling them short. After all, her first litter, by Zambora Brockie, produced Amron Boy, a winner of 22 races and $674,000 in prize money.

And the second, by Feral Franky, includes Boracay Storm, winner of this year’s Group 2 Bendigo Cup (425 metres).

Purchased as pups, the brindle dogs found their way to Halliday’s property where they were reared and later broken-in by the long-time trainer and educator with assistance, once again, from Weis.

Now racing as Way Cool and High Cube, the former lined up from box four in the first heat of the memorial and didn’t lose too many friends when working home well to be beaten by David Peckham’s Aston Jimena by two lengths in 23.11 seconds.

Always on the pace in the second heat, High Cube grabbed a rails run off the back before going on to a two length win over Hey You Guys in 23.20 seconds.

The Peter Whitehead Memorial Maiden final will be part of the Williams Crane Hire Christmas Cup meeting at Tara Raceway this Sunday. All distances will be catered for, ranging from 305 metres to 732 metres.