Moorak trainer Jason Newman and the Yeah Nah Syndicate certainly made sure the 2022 Mount Gambier Greyhound of the Year presentation to Departure Gate was celebrated in style at last Sunday’s Tara Raceway meeting.
And with 15 wins and five seconds at the local track – highlighted by a memorable win in the Group 3 Carlin & Gazzard MG Mount Gambier Cup (512 metres) – Departure Gate’s year really was worthy of celebration.
Members of the Adelaide-based syndicate, managed by Lain Beckett, made the trip down. And all of the Newman-Melissa Freitag’s Paw Some Racing team was dressed for the occasion – including four-month-old Elaine.
White tops emblazoned with “Departure Gate, 2022 Greyhound of the Year, and a black dog and cup”, certainly added to the presentation which was handled by Kevin “KD” Douglas. And there was no missing them on track.
As it turned out, it was an even bigger day for Paw Some Racing and the Yeah Nah Syndicate after Velocity Lotus, Nitrogen Outlaw and Nihari Bale were successful.
The syndicate races Nitrogen Outlaw who turned in an impressive performance in the Tracie Price Open Stake (400 m) when leading all the way and defeating Aston Secret by 5¾ lengths in a smart 22.76 seconds.
“They had been looking for another dog for a while and when this son of Aston Dee Bee out of Fantasy Skye came along last October they decided to give him a try,” Newman said.
“And it’s worked out pretty well with him having now won a further seven races for us at Gawler, Angle Park and Mount Gambier.”
As far as Mount Gambier is concerned, it’s been a good start to 2023 for Paw Some Racing – 23 winners while kennelmates Nitrogen Outlaw and Wind Burn Flash share the Greyhound of the Year lead on 15 points. Sitting in third spot on 14 is another kennelmate in Velocity Lotus.
Preceding the Greyhound of the Year presentation was the Ian Badger Leading Trainer award, named in 2018 after the club’s inaugural winner of 1979.
Badger was also the South East Greyhound Racing Club secretary in 1980-81 and president in 1981-82, 84-86 and 88-90. He was awarded life membership in 1996.
Compton-based Tracie Price won the 2018 award when training 137 local winners. And he led the way again in 2022 with 181 Mount Gambier winners – his most successful local dogs being Giant’s Flash and Minnie Banjo who won 15 races and 12 races respectively.
Once again Judy Sellen (formerly Badger) made the trip down from Macclesfield with her partner Colin Mizon to make the presentation to the leading trainer.
She also had been actively involved in the South East Greyhound Racing Club through the Ladies Committee. Formed in 1978, this committee had been active in fundraising and catering.
All things being equal, Ian Badger, who died at the age of 46 on March 31, 1995, probably would have still been training greyhounds. And probably would have still been president of the club.