It was Menari Houdini’s maiden win at last Sunday’s Mount Gambier meeting that kicked off a successful week for the Worm Burner x Xtreme Gift litter, together with local owner-trainer Noel Perry and co-owner Brian Weis of Portland.

Then, on Wednesday, litter brother Rough Boy Buddy won his second race at Victorian city track The Meadows after wearing down odds-on favourite Tiffany Keeping in the home straight. On the line he had 1¼ lengths to spare when running 30.35 seconds for the 525 metres journey.

A quick 17.58 seconds win at Mount Gambier on debut over 305 metres at the beginning of May had been enough to convince Perry and Weis that the brindle dog was worth a try in Victoria – especially after leading trainer Robert Britton agreed to give him a go.

The following day at Mount Gambier’s time-graded meeting saw their litter sister Rough Girl Kodi – yet to run a place in nine starts – dead heat for first with John Little’s Bungaloo Josh in the Bartholomew Pick 6 Maiden Stake (400 m).

Meanwhile, at Temora a couple of nights’ earlier, another member of the litter in Extreme Rock, owned and trained by Matt Morris of Gumly Gumly, won first-up over 457 metres.

The Worm Burner x Xtreme Gift litter was bred by Weis who won eight races with the dam at Mount Gambier, Horsham and Warrnambool. By Barcia Bale out of Xtreme Gretel, she’s a litter sister to Xtreme Caution, winner of the 2018 Mount Gambier Cup when trained by Weis.

And Little continues to do well with his Fabregas x Springvale Alysa litter – Bungaloo Rachele winning the Swallow Drive Meats Maiden Stake at her second start prior to Bungaloo Josh’s dead heat in the following race.

Mortlake trainer Shaun Baulch also did well at the time-graded meeting when landing his first-ever double – with Evident and Odie Mac who both led all the way.

Baulch is the fifth trainer for Evident, the giveaway son of Fernando Bale x Oakstar defeating Myola Knight by 2¾ lengths in 23.54 seconds in the Exchange Printers Stake (400 m).
Odie Mac, also a giveaway, found his way into Baulch’s kennels prior to racing and has now won two races at Mount Gambier.

Highlighting Thursday’s meeting was the running of five heats of the Fast Forward series over 400 metres for 1-4 wins greyhounds. Graded worst to best, the final is made up of the eight fastest dogs, irrespective of their finishing position in the heats.

The fastest qualifier was Terang owner-trainer Mark Roberts’ False Alarm who impressed with a 10¾ length win in 22.95 seconds.

Commencing in September, two 1-4 wins Fast Forward series will be run each month, one over 400 metres and the other over 512 metres.

The time-graded meeting certainly wasn’t without its share of incidents. Parwan training team, Lewis and Julie Green were involved in an accident travelling to Mount Gambier. This resulted in their 17 runners all being late scratchings.

And the final two races were delayed after thunder, lightning and heavy rain threatened their abandonment.