Compton trainer Tracie Price boasts a fair record in recent times in the long-running Sims Feature Maiden (512 metres) – Benara Cosmic successful in 2014 and Rocketline again last year.
The series, which has undergone a few minor name changes over the years, is now known as the Sims Family Memorial, run in memory of Col and Val Sims and their son Ian.
And it’s probably fair to say that Price and his wife Karen would not have gone into yesterday’s final at Tara Raceway with Compton Pete and Compton Brett with any degree of confidence.
After all, Compton Pete had won his roughhouse heat the previous week in 30.69 seconds, certainly considerably slower than Apache Jakit and Noir Star’s 30.15 seconds and 30.19 seconds when running the quinella in the other heat.
Compton Brett, on the other hand, had scraped into the final after running 7½ lengths fourth in the faster of the two heats. In fact, after eight starts he had yet to run a place, Price saying bad box manners had been holding him back.
He wasn’t kidding. The big black dog once again made a mess of the start from box eight in the final. In fact, Compton Pete was no better, the pair’s first splits of 4.71 seconds and 4.72 seconds resulting in the kennelmates tailing the field the first time past the post.
But after finding an early spot on the rails, Compton Brett was able to rail through down the back straight and take the lead. A boilover was looming. Meanwhile, out wide, Compton Pete was keeping out of trouble and making ground.
And in the run home, the Price-trained pair fought out the finish, Compton Brett, a $34 chance and probably the longest-priced winner of a Sims Feature Maiden, winning by 2¼ lengths in 30.43 seconds.
By Brett Lee, at one time dubbed the world’s fastest greyhound, the WA-bred Compton Brett is out of My Nakita, a winner of seven races at Cannington and Mandurah for more than $32,000 in stakemoney.
My Nakita is by the Irish super sire Spiral Nikita out of Winsome Bluebird, a member of a terrific litter that included Miata, Sure As and Deville.
Compton Brett and two of his littermates were transported as pups from WA to Compton and reared by Price on a two-for-one basis.
And while yesterday’s feature win was a good start to the year for Price, there’s promise of plenty more to come for the early leader in the 2021 Ian Badger Leading Trainer award.
“We’ve got quite a few pups to be broken-in out of litters that we’ve bred, including My Redeemer x Headline, along with Miss Freelove, Who’s Doing What and Flying Flutter (all by Mepunga Blazer),” he said.
These days it is pretty big business out at the Compton kennels; predominantly a family operation and perhaps not all that different to the successful Sims family operation all those years ago.
