Meningie trainer Tim Richards’ first Mount Gambier winner had been back in December 2017 with a greyhound called Allen Paul.
And plenty of success has since followed at Tara Raceway with a SA Country Cup win, classic wins in 2021 and 2022 with Justice For All and He’s All Purpose, memorial wins, and a 400 metre track record of 22.55 seconds by Almighty Stripe in April 2021.
A purchase by Richards of a couple of May 2024 pups by Bernardo out of Rhonda Lily – a winner of 19 races and a daughter of Banjo Boy x Paua To Avoid – is now starting to pay dividends with the brother and sister collectively having won 17 races.
The pair, bred locally by Tracie Price, is raced by Richards and his cousin Don Richards. The littermates, Big Diesel and She’s A Jumbo, both qualified for last Sunday’s $10,000 Trackside Pet Meats Autumn Classic final and drew boxes one and three respectively.
Given the box draw, Big Diesel was always going to be hard to beat after running 29.44 seconds in his heat the previous week. And that’s how the race played out.
He was in front going out of the first turn and from then on was never headed when running out a length winner over Tony Hinrichsen’s Lil Rex. He also ran a terrific race for the Langhorne Creek trainer from box eight when going down by a length in 29.49 seconds.
Filling third spot was Hamilton-based Lorraine Goodwin’s 100/1 chance Major Queen who battled on well when beaten six lengths but running a more than handy time of 29.99 seconds.
Richards said last Sunday’s classic winner was known around his kennels as Shaq, so named after former US basketballer Shaquille O’Neal whose one of many nicknames was Big Diesel.
His trainer also said the 35 kilogram dog really enjoyed racing at Mount Gambier behind the finish-on lure.
“I still remember back when I was breaking him in at Murray Bridge. So keen was he on the lure that one day he actually pulled it off the fence.”
But for the time being it’s back to Angle Park where Big Diesel has drawn box eight in the third and final heat of the Howard Ashton (530 m) on Thursday night.
Meanwhile, the past week has been quite productive for the Bartholomew family of Worrolong with Just Rylee, a daughter of Blue Moon Rising and Galactic Athena, finally shrugging off her injury woes last week and winning her first race since last September.
Then, at the Sunday meeting, Mary Lee won on debut over 305 metres after leading all the way from box four and holding out Cadillac Express for a 1¾ length win in 17.76 seconds in the Klaassens Contractors Maiden Stake (305 m).
By Tommy Shelby, she is out of Galactic Athena’s litter sister Galactic Destiny, daughters of Paddy Whacker and Galactic Rumball.
A couple of races later Just Alfie, a son of Hooked On Scotch and Miss Bellawood, brought up the family’s second winner of the day – albeit far removed from the Galactic line – after grabbing Secret Super in the shadows of the post for a neck win in 17.58 seconds.
Having his fourth start back since a five-month break, the win in the Cadillac Racing Mixed Stake (305 m) was the blue dog’s second win since resuming. It took his total number of wins at Mount Gambier, Angle Park and Murray Bridge to 17.
Also, Hey You Guys, another of the Blue Moon Rising x Galactic Athena litter, was back after a three-month break to contest the Icon Signs Stake (305 m).
Raced by Craig and Deb Hicks, she quickly overcame an ordinary start from box eight before quickly running away to a 5¾ length win over Cadillac Ragtop in 17.38 seconds.
That was the end of a successful day for the Bartholomew kennel. But from a breeding point of view, the day wasn’t quite over.
Lining up in race nine in the Ontrack Insider Stake (512 m) was another member of the Blue Moon Rising x Galactic Athena litter in Blue Moon Marie, owned locally by Noel Miller and Peter Lamond and trained at Koroit by Peter Keane.
Having her ninth start this year after being off the scene for 12 months – and chasing her third win –the brindle bitch settled in second spot before finishing strongly in the home straight for a 2¾ length win over Moonlight River in 30.21 seconds.