Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Cryer’s Harper broke a five month run of outs when bringing up win number 12 at Tara Raceway last Sunday in The Border Watch Stake (400 metres).
And while the daughter of Spud Regis x Cryer’s Midget had been showing plenty of early dash in her recent races she had been struggling to run out the 400 metre journey for Tom and Margaret Cryer of Apsley.
Not so last Sunday though, the black bitch always in control when running out a 2½ length winner over the consistent Bowled Harro in 23.12 seconds.
Cryer’s Harper is out of the third and final litter of Cryer’s Midget who currently sits in second spot behind Lektra Scarlett on the local leading dams’ list with 21 wins.
Her first two litters were by Spring Gun, both highly successful, with Cryer’s Plugger (from the second mating) the first leg of a double for the Cryers last Sunday and sitting second to one of Lektra Scarlett’s offspring in Black Spring in the Greyhound of the Year award.
But it was Cryer’s Ricky, from the first Spring Gun mating, that ultimately brought about the mating of Cryer’s Midget with the Group 1-winning Spud Regis.
Still the Tara Raceway 400 metre record-holder at 22.78 seconds after 3½ years, Cryer’s Ricky also won the inaugural Summer Classic (512 m) back in 2015, the brindle dog gaining a start in the final as a reserve after Mojito Mayhem was scratched.
Ironically, Cryer’s Ricky defeated Mojito Mayhem’s kennelmate Future Past in the final in a quick 29.96 seconds and in winning also picked up a service to Spud Regis which had been donated by Brian Treloar.
Earlier at last Sunday’s meeting, It’s Poppy brought up her second win from four starts when defeating Causing Drama by three-quarters of a length in the Greyhound-Data.com Stake (400 m) in 23.38 seconds.
Owned and trained at Portland by Robert Halliday, It’s Poppy is by General Destini out of Guru Doll, the mating to the winner of 23 races and $270,000 in stakemoney coming about after the running of the 2017 Summer Classic.
Halliday had the promising Hutch engaged in the final, the black dog defeating Blitz And Bolt and also winning a service to General Destini, donated by Norm and Janis Rinaldi.
An earlier Guru Doll litter (by Cosmic Rumble) resulted in Halliday enjoying plenty of success with Odd Boots. Already, he has also won with two other members of the General Destini litter in Local Brew and Rotate.
Meanwhile, the Adelaide-based Nineofus (plus two) Syndicate, managed by Ross Schurgott, will be down for Sunday’s meeting and no doubt hoping for another forward showing from Silent Jacko.
The son of Kinloch Brae and Bonnie’s Secret was an impressive winner last Sunday at Tara Raceway when clocking a quick 22.92 seconds in the Fairthorne Forestry Stake (400 m) for Allendale East trainer David Peckham.
He looks to be a good pick-up for the syndicate, having now won three races from 10 starts and clashing with another of their dogs in Tara Trackstar winner Flash Jackie in Sunday’s Winningformula.net.au Stake (512 m).
Silent Jacko was purchased in July virtually ready to race from Clergate breeder David Pringle who had told the syndicate that he believed the brindle dog would be well placed at Mount Gambier.
“So far his assessment of Silent Jacko has been pretty well spot on,” Schurgott said. “Mind you, he wasn’t a cheap buy.”
The syndicate will also be able to check out their latest purchase, the Peckham-trained Squishy Peas, who will make his Tara Raceway debut in the Swallow Drive Meats Stake (512 m).
A winner of 10 races in Victoria, the beautifully-bred Squishy Peas is by Fernando Bale out of Secret Spell, a winner of 23 races and $276,000 in stakemoney.