It was last year that North Bendigo trainer Aaron Blake won 10 races over three distances at Tara Raceway with his handy little bitch Adelong who raced in a one-blinkered muzzle.
Four of her wins were over 732 metres when she defeated Mick’s Kimmy on three occasions and also Ebby Tock.
By Fernando Bale out of Bonnie Beauty, herself a city-winning stayer at The Meadows, Adelong was last month mated with Hooked On Scotch, the 2019 Adelaide Cup winner.
And at Mount Gambier’s time-graded meeting at Tara Raceway last Thursday Blake’s brother Khris was back with Black Jester and Well Wisher – both owned by Aaron and trained by the boys’ mother, Mary, at White Hills.
Also sporting a one-blinkered muzzle, Black Jester – a son of Aston Dee Bee and Lady Pandora – had run a handy three length third behind Ebby Justice over 600 metres the previous Sunday in 35.32 seconds.
Accordingly, the Jester appeared well-placed in the Klaassens Contractors 0-4 Wins Stake (600 m). And after finding the front from box eight he was never headed, eventually running out a 6¼ length winner over kennelmate Well Wisher in 35.41 seconds.
The win was only his second in 21 starts after having won his maiden at Tara Raceway back in June over 400 metres in 23.50 seconds.
Speaking after last Thursday’s race, Khris Blake said there had been a few issues with Black Jester along the way, including a couple of failing to chase offences at Shepparton and Bendigo earlier this year.
“The one-blinkered muzzle certainly helped Adelong and I believe Black Jester has also benefited. I think he’s definitely getting better and it wouldn’t surprise me if Aaron looked at trying him over 732 metres.”
Both originally trained by Joe Borg of Maryborough, Adelong and Black Jester trace back on the dam’s side to Come On Luann, a Sandown Park and The Meadows winner who had also been trained by Borg.
Meanwhile, Moorak training partnership Jason Newman and Melissa Freitag continued their domination of local distance racing when supplying the trifecta on Father’s Day in the Todd’s Photographics Stake (732 m) with Redshift Uniform, Send It Blue and Velocity Lotus.
Newman’s Wind Burn Flash, who has won nine staying races at Tara Raceway this year, is unlikely to race again. Currently she holds a three point lead over Nero Valentino in the Mount Gambier Greyhound of the Year.
And she’s hanging on for dear life as she attempts to give Newman his second GOTY following Departure Gate’s win in 2022.
