Koroit couple Gerald and Carolyn McKenna – health issues these days restricting their frequency at local greyhound meetings – certainly had something to chuckle about last Thursday at Tara Raceway.

Lining up for the pair from box six in the Swallow Drive Meats Maiden Stake (305 metres) was Chuckle Bay, a small-sized male greyhound who at start number seven weighed in at 26.3 kilograms.

But size counted for nothing when the fawn dog led all the way for a 1¾ length win over Bungaloo Fire in a handy personal best time 17.92 seconds.

For Gerald McKenna the win was his first as a trainer since March 9, 2023 at Tara Raceway when Crimson Bay, a daughter of Worm Burner and Zipping Melody, had won her maiden in 18.24 seconds.

“Crimson Bay was from Zipping Melody’s second litter – her first failed to produce a winner although I wasn’t going to give up without having a go,” he said.

“The only bitch in that first litter, later to be named Anntonia Bay, received an ordinary breaking-in report and when she returned I put her in a yard until I decided what I was going to do with her.

“Some years prior I had purchased several Engine Alley straws for $200 each. So when Anntonia Bay came in season I decided to use one of the straws. The result was three dogs and one bitch whelped in May 2022 with Chuckle Bay the first to race.”

Engine Alley, a son of the imported Razldazl Billy and Zarbo, won 12 races from 27 starts during 2012 and 2013. Zarbo was successful at seven of her last eight starts over distances ranging from 650 metres to 730 metres.

Meanwhile, Compton Robbie made a welcome return to the winner’s circle for Portland trainer Robert Halliday and his wife Shirley when successful in the Gambier Vets TG5+W Stake (512 m).

Having only his second run this year, the 36 kilogram black dog was chasing his first win since last September when he defeated Nero Valentino, who went on to win the 2023 Mount Gambier Greyhound of the Year award.

A $13 chance in last Thursday’s time-graded event, Compton Robbie found trouble on the first turn after jumping well from box five. But he quickly put himself back in the race down the back straight before finishing strongly and defeating the front-running Two Fifty Three by a half-length.

The winning time of 30.60 seconds was a fair way outside his Tara Raceway personal best of 29.54 seconds run in April last year.

But, according to Halliday, the son of Glen Gallon and 2015 Mount Gambier Cup winner Lots Of Yap had for some time been a work in progress.

“He developed a chronic wrist problem which saw him off the scene for much of the latter part of last year. Hopefully that problem has now been solved.

“And his race time was of little concern to us. We were just happy to see him back in the winner’s circle and appearing to pull up soundly.”

Compton Robbie has now won 12 races for the Hallidays at Mount Gambier after being purchased as a one-start maiden in October 2022.