Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Eighteen months ago Saint David was mixing it with the best at Sandown Park, taking on greyhounds such as Beast Unleashed, Dyna Patty and Tornado Tears in the final of the $150,000-to-the-winner Launching Pad over 515 metres.
And while last Sunday’s meeting at Tara Raceway was a far cry from the bright lights of one of Victoria’s main tracks, Koroit owner-trainer Peter Byrne was more than happy to win the K9 Race Recovery Free For All (600 m) and pick up the $1225 first prize.
In what was a similar middle-distance field the previous week, Saint David had run a close-up third behind dead-heaters Spinning Jakit and Cryer’s Plugger although Black Spring, back after a four-week break, was always going to be hard to beat in the K9 after he drew box one.
A clear leader in the Greyhound of the Year, Black Spring, owned and trained at Edenhope by Cap Abbott, quickly found the front while Saint David settled in second spot before finishing powerfully to score by a neck in 35.39 seconds with Banjo Fozz a further three lengths back in third spot.
A 29.39 seconds maiden winner at Sandown Park at only his second race start, Saint David went into the Launching Pad on the back of a heat and semi-final win but broke down in the final, Byrne of the opinion at the time that the black dog would probably never race again.
“He dropped a back leg muscle and was off the scene for six months,” he said. “To be honest, I reckon he’s done really well to even win another race, let alone four – one at Ballarat (545 m) and three at Tara Raceway (600 m).
“Every win’s now a bonus with him. He pulled up well after Sunday’s effort so I’m keen to come back to Tara Raceway for another 600 metre event – these days he hasn’t enough early pace for sprinting – or perhaps even to Sandown Park or The Meadows for the right middle-distance race.”
By Cosmic Rumble out of Mepunga Kirsty, a winner of eight races (four at Sandown Park), Saint David was bred by Byrne who has a 13-month-old litter by Mepunga Blazer to follow.