Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club

Tara Raceway, Lake Terrace East, Mount Gambier, SA

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A touch of magic from Tom

The Spare Ya Change 4 Kids presentation at Tara Raceway last Sunday.

After a stint of time-graded racing at Tara Raceway’s Thursday meetings, Glencoe owner-trainer Dean Fennell’s Magic Tom had no trouble in making the step up in class at last Sunday’s Category 2 meeting.

Patrick checks out Pa’s trophy after Magic Tom had won the Spare Ya Change 4 Kids Stake.

Contesting the Tara Tipsters grade five Spare Ya Change 4 Kids Stake over 512 metres, Magic Tom brought up his fifth win at the track when defeating Loads Of Money by 1¾ lengths in a time of 30.14 seconds.

By Bernardo out of Saint Maddie, the black dog – who was reared at Glencoe – was given to Fennell as a pup by the breeder, Peter Byrne of Koroit.

“I also trained Saint Maddie,” Fennell said. “She was a nicely-bred bitch, being by Peter Rocket out of Miss Lava and won 10 races at Mount Gambier.”

So far, the stand-out member of Magic Tom’s litter is the Victorian-based King Owen, a winner of nine races from 40 starts for prize money of more than $68,000.

And Fennell is a member of the Tara Tipsters team who recently threw their support behind the locally-based Spare Ya Change 4 Kids and made a donation last Sunday to the charity after the running of Magic Tom’s race.

The race also carried a winner’s trophy of a leather collar and lead, hand-crafted locally by Andrew Earl, also a member of the Tara Tipsters.

Spare Ya Change 4 Kids representatives Di Ind (left), Ian Wheller, Robyn Laurenson and Louise Wheller pictured at Tara Raceway last Sunday.

On track were charity representatives Di Ind, Ian and Louise Wheller and Robyn Laurenson. Ms Ind outlined who Spare Ya Change 4 Kids helps and summarised the activities of the organisation which includes the delivery of meals to children in need throughout the Limestone Coast region.

Another presentation on the day was that of the leading tipster for the Spare Ya Change 4 Kids series which ran twice-weekly for two months.

The series was won by Mount Gambier-based Jarrad Williams who collected the prized yellow cap that goes with the win when accumulating 500 points and defeating former winner Tim Aloisi of Adelaide by three points.

Jarrad Williams, the latest Tara Tipsters winner.

The Tara Tipsters are now throwing their support behind the Ryder-Cheshire Mount Gambier Home Foundation which was formed out of a desire to provide a caring “forever home” for people living with a disability in the community.

And next month at Tara Raceway the tipsters will promote the Tara Tipsters Trainers’ Challenge, a non-penalty heats and final 1-4 wins series over 400 metres with the winner receiving $2500.

Any trainer who has been involved in at least one series of the Tara Tipsters (from the outset) will be eligible to nominate a 1-4 wins greyhound provided that it has been in the kennel since October 1, 2024. No trainer is allowed multiple runners at the exclusion of another trainer.

Elaine catches up with Amendola, a winner of more than $200,000 in prize money.

Meanwhile, racing kicked off in exciting fashion at Tara Raceway last Sunday when former Queenslander Amendola held off Aston Hornet to score a neck win in 35.19 seconds in the Carlin & Gazzard Mixed Stake (600 m).

In the Jason Newman/Melissa Freitag kennels at Moorak, the son of Maurice Minor and Soft Sand has now won two of his three starts at Tara Raceway and overall has won 23 races for prize money of more than $220,000.

Penshurst owner-trainer Brendan Casey was chasing his first win at Mount Gambier since early May when Penny Pinto had been successful, and he looked some chance with Flax Mill in the Klaassens Contractors Stake (512 m) – especially after it dropped off to three runners.

Brendan Casey with Flax Mill after his win in the Klaassens Contractors Stake.

By Aussie Infrared out of Banjo Lass, the fawn dog’s only win previously at Tara Raceway had been in August last year in a maiden over 400 metres.

Drawn in box eight, and the rank outsider of the trio at $4.80, Flax Mill found a bit of trouble on the first turn before settling in third spot. But he rounded up odds-on favourite Rick’s Burner and Penny Drop turning for home before finishing strongly for a 1½ length win in 30.48 seconds.

Casey’s designated driver for the day was his uncle, Jack Casey, also of Penshurst. And it has to be said that Uncle Jack had the place in stitches when he all but flooded out the canteen after pushing the wrong buttons on the self-serve coffee machine.

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