Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Mount Gambier’s chances in the forthcoming Border Challenge with the Warrnambool Greyhound Racing Club took a hit this week with the announcement that Azalea Monelli and Cruising By will miss the series.
Allendale East trainer David Peckham reported that the kennelmates had both come in season, Azalea Monelli, raced by leading SA owners Tim Aloisi and Matt Lehman, now in Adelaide to be mated with proven sire Mogambo.
“Tim and Matt previously raced Honcho Monelli, all told a winner of 38 races and $226,000 in stakemoney. He is by Mogambo out of Jackie Bale while Azalea Monelli is a daughter of Jackie Bale, hence the decision to use that sire,” Peckham said.
Azalea Monelli, who has won nine races this year at Tara Raceway, leads the 2019 Tara Trackstar No. 2 contenders with 49 points but will also miss this one-off race which will be run in early January over 512 metres.
Cruising By, who also lists Aloisi and Lehman among her owners, brought up her seventh win at Tara Raceway last Sunday when too strong for Stilton Rush in the Gordon Refrigeration Mixed Stake (400 m).
Her win was also the fifth for the day for Peckham who had previously won with Bourne Attitude, Missing Mate, Squishy Pea and Right Above It.
Mount Gambier heats (512 m) of the Border Challenge will be run on Sunday, November 24 with the $4000-to-the-winner final over 450 metres at Warrnambool on Thursday, December 5.
Meanwhile, Bourne Spirit’s win in the Williams Crane Hire Stake (400 m) at last Thursday’s time-graded meeting was the first leg of a profitable maiden double for Peckham prior to litter sister Bourne Attitude’s win in the Trackside Meats Stake (400 m) on Sunday.
By Barcia Bale x Maximum Bella, the February 2018 bitches were bred and are also owned by Peckham who besides picking up $1110 in prizemoney for the two wins, also collected $2000 in SA-Bred maiden bonuses.
All told, Maximum Bella won 13 races, four for Peckham at Tara Raceway including a 35.16 seconds 600 metre win, the daughter of Magic Sprite x Lil’s Memory since whelping a second litter in February this year to Worm Burner.