Giveaway greyhound Aston Darwin found winning form again at Tara Raceway last Sunday for local owner-trainer Kevin Patzel.

Looking well placed in the Cadillac Racing Stake (512 metres), the son of Aston Rupee and Aston Opal matched motors early with odds-on favourite That Smile. He then took over down the back straight before running out a 3½ length winner in 30.08 seconds.

The black dog has now won three 512 metre races – one in a quick 29.64 seconds – at Tara Raceway. And he continues Patzel’s successful association with Dennington trainer Dustin Drew.

“I had previously raced a dog called Aston Reims. He also had come from Dustin as a giveaway and I did pretty well with wins at Mount Gambier and Murray Bridge,” Patzel said.

Meanwhile, he also continues to do extremely well with Wario, the son of Pindari Express and Fiery Crash a winner of 25 races for Patzel and at $1000 proving to be a great purchase in May last year.

Trained for him since March this year by Annette Kampman of Purdeet, Wario was back at Tara Raceway last Sunday for the first time since May when he had defeated Unique Destiny in a Masters event over 305 metres.

Lining up from box one in the Sealeys Springworks Masters Stake (305 m), Wario quickly found the front before running away to a five length win over Come On Kilkenny in 17.52 seconds.

It was 12 months ago that Riverland-based owner-trainer Adam Burda reckoned he had made the 1000 kilometre round trip from Waikerie to Mount Gambier with his greyhounds a dozen or so times in a 30-year involvement. But with no real success.

All that had changed, though, on that particular Sunday afternoon after Burda landed his third double in 30 years with No Fines and No Idea.

Fast forward 12 months and Burda was back again last Sunday with No Fines and No Idea. This time, though, the pair had been drawn in the same race – the Icon Signs Mixed Stake (400 m).

And it was No Idea who went straight to the front from box three while No Fines settled mid-field but found the front down the back. And in the run home it was a Burda quinella after No Fines had 1½ lengths to spare on No Idea in a time of 23.39 seconds.

Bred by Burda, No Fines is by Fabregas out of Josie Rumble, a daughter of Kiowa Mon Manny and Mystic Rumble and a winner of 21 races for $52,000 in prize money. The black bitch has now won 12 races.

Meanwhile, Moorak trainer Melissa Freitag’s pair of Come On Kilkenny and Wind Whiskers are leading the way in this year’s Mount Gambier Greyhound of the Year after picking up further points at last Sunday’s meeting.

Come On Kilkenny, a son of Fernando Bale and Naughty Cazza, picked up points when running second to Wario while Wind Whiskers (Beast Unleashed x Takers To Vegas), from a number of wins point of view, drew level but overall still trails by two points.

On a day that included races over all distances – 305 m, 400 m, 512 m, 600 m and 732 m – Moppa trainer Judi Hurley provided the five runners in the Greg Martlew Autos Mixed Stake over 732 metres.

And it was Zipping Grande who strung together her fourth consecutive staying win – one at Angle Park and three at Tara Raceway – when finishing powerfully in the run home and defeating Bomb Roberta and Springvale Rita by 5½ lengths in 44.39 seconds.

Raced by Tim Aloisi, the daughter of Aussie Infrared and Zipping Meg has now won nine races.

Bourne Model, owned and trained at Allendale East by David Peckham, has found her way back from Queensland and could not have been more impressive when winning at Angle Park over 530 metres on Monday night.

Slowly away from box six, the daughter of Feral Franky and Sweet On Me soon put herself into the race and finished off strongly when running out a 5½ length winner over Bookaloo in 30.39 seconds.

Bourne Model is now likely to contest the State heats of the National Sprint Championship (530 m) at Angle Park early next month.