Saturday, February 8, 2020
It’s now been something like eight years since Robert Colpoys last raced greyhounds at Mount Gambier’s Tara Raceway – and as he recalls without much success.
But it was a different story at last Thursday’s time-graded meeting when Colpoys, based in the Gippsland township of Bass, landed a winning treble with Hook Along Mint, Pink Tiara and Hook Along Book.

Success came early in the day when Hook Along Mint, chasing his first win at start number 14, led all the way in the Gambier Vets Maiden Stake (400 metres) to defeat his kennelmate Miss Monster by 2½ lengths in a handy 23.27 seconds.
Kennelled at Bass since breaking-in, Hook Along Mint, a son of Dyna Villa x Purdi, is raced by his breeder, Brad Hooke of Huntly.
Purdi is a daughter of Miss Elly Mint who won 44 races and recorded 12 minor placings from 66 starts for prizemoney just short of $200,000. At one stage during 2008-2009 Miss Elly Mint won 16 races in succession at Wentworth Park, The Gardens and Gosford.
Pink Tiara would have boosted the spirits of owner Brendan De Rozario – currently recovering from a major operation – when leading all the way in the Williams Crane Hire Stake (400 m) for a 7¼ length win over Yeppy Allen in a best of day 23.23 seconds.
By Fabregas out of Wentworth Park winner Houso Delight, Pink Tiara has now won six races – two this year – since being taken over last June by Colpoys, who also caught up with his brother, fellow trainer Steve of Coleraine, on Thursday.
And Hook Along Book, whose last win had been in a maiden at Healesville back in October, brought up the visiting trainer’s treble in emphatic fashion when leading all the way in the Greyhound-Data.com Stake (512 m) to defeat Rooster by 6½ lengths in 30.21 seconds.
Also bred and raced by Hooke, Hook Along Book, another one with Colpoys since being broken in, is a daughter of Banjo Boy and Wentworth Park, Dapto, Richmond and Gosford winner Ronray Flyer.
Last Thursday’s treble was his second, although recollections of that first one are somewhat hazy for the trainer with a 52-year involvement in the sport.
“Somewhere home I have a newspaper cutting dating back 30 years which relates to the day at Healesville where I was the first to train a treble at the straight track,” he said.
Colpoys, who currently has six dogs in work, rates the best dog he has trained as being Remo Shark, a winner of 16 races including Sandown Park and The Meadows and Remo Rubik (22, $116,000) as the best he’s bred.

Meanwhile, tightest go all day last Thursday was in the Klaassens Contractors Stake (400 m) when Pull Shot and Fried White Bait dead-heated for first while Parry Allen was only a nose away in third spot in a time of 23.62 seconds.
As things played out it appeared as though the Kevin Ward owned and trained odds-on favourite Pull Shot would lead all the way from box one and defeat the Wade Green pair of Parry Allen and Fried White Bait.
But the race changed complexion not far from home when Pull Shot’s back legs inexplicably dipped, the black bitch probably doing well to get going again and salvage a dead-heat with Fried White Bait who came from a fair way back.
Both Ward, of Mount Moriac, and Rockbank-based Green finished the day with a win and a dead-heat each while Portland trainer Andy Graham landed an outright double when his Nitro Burst x Lots Of Yap litter sisters Bay Me and Rose Bay were successful over 400 metres.