Glencoe owner-trainer Edna Fennell was playing it pretty cool at last week’s Tara Raceway time-graded meeting after landing her first winner with King Smiley in the Williams Crane Hire Maiden Stake (400 metres).
In fact, so determined was she to avoid staring down the camera lens of track photographer Bron Nicholson that she handed the winner over to her husband Dean to lead back.
But, deep down Fennell would have been thrilled to bits with King Smiley – a giveaway following breaking-in – after he gave tearaway leader Lightning Jazz a fair start down the back before running out a half-length winner in a personal best 23.48 seconds.
“I just hope he’s not a one-hit wonder,” she said later.
King Smiley and his litter brother King Happy, who is also trained by Fennell but yet to win, are by Spring Gun out of staying bitch Bekim Lucy’s who won 11 races including one over 731 metres at Angle Park.
Through her husband, Fennell has been involved with greyhounds since 1997, although her first crack at training didn’t come until 12 months ago with a dog called Walter who raced on only two occasions.
Meanwhile, later in the day Cookie Deeds brought up his second win in close to 12 months when successful in the JB Irrigation Stake (512 m) for Portland owner-trainer Andy Graham.
A son of Fernando Bale and Mepunga Jayelle, the white and black dog chased Blue Bonnet until off the back where he took over the running and held off a fast-finishing Compton Pete to win by 1½ lengths in 30.36 seconds.
And it’s taken Graham, who picked up Cookie Deeds for $2000 from Koroit owner-trainer Garry Anders in July last year, a while to win another race.
“Why did I purchase Cookie Deeds? Well, I think it was mainly because when he won his maiden at Warrnambool in January last year he defeated one of my dogs in Bay Me.
“That sort of stuck in my mind a bit because she’s the best dog I currently have so I did a deal with Garry. Now I’m a bit like Edna and hoping he’s not a one-hit wonder.”