Thursday, April 11, 2019
Ben Nevis, who defeated the Connie Miller trained dead-heaters Chilly Kiss and Kolora Posie in last July’s Anniversary Cup (512 metres), returns to racing at Tara Raceway on Sunday after a four-month break.
The son of Return The King x Tarks Jewel won his last race in October when defeating George Regis, trainer Nicole Stanley of Portland saying that a torn hip support muscle had kept him off the scene since mid-December.
“It’s taken a while to get him back but he trialled quite well on a couple of occasions at Warrnambool over 450 metres as a lead-up to Sunday’s race,” she said.
A winner of five races from 22 starts at Tara Raceway, Ben Nevis has also won at Sandown Park, The Meadows and Angle Park and will jump from box four in the Winmore Greyhound Kennels Stake, one of three more-than-handy grade five 512 metre events on the 12-race card.
Portland trainer Nifty Lenehan and Cap Abbott of Edenhope, on the back of doubles at last week’s meeting, also look to hold a strong hand in the race with Lektra Brandy, a handy third behind Slingshot Hammer in a Mount Gambier Cup heat, and Pure Profit who was one of Abbott’s winners last week.
And adding further interest will be Mulan, a 400 metre winner last week but whose last win over 512 metres back in November saw her run a quick 29.96 seconds – Glenroy trainer Richard Clayfield hoping the black bitch is now back to something like that form.
Bourne Blackjack, back at Allendale East with owner-trainer David Peckham after a disappointing eight-race Adelaide campaign in late December and earlier this year, will be chasing a hat trick of wins when he jumps from box two in the JB Irrigation Stake, a grade five final.
The son of Barcia Bale x Striking Viking looked pretty good when he led all the way to win his heat in 30.00 seconds but this appears to be a race of many chances – Molly’s Wally, Banjo Bad Boy, Cryer’s Jed, Bereluke and Black Spring – also in the mix. And the winner could still have been missed!
Kolora Posie, providing she doesn’t gain a run as a reserve in the grade five final, should be hard to beat from box eight in the South Eastern Hotel Stake, the third of the grade five 512 metre events on Sunday.