It’s taken a while, but local trainer David Peckham finally won the SA Country Cup (530 metres) with Federal Fernando at last night’s Adelaide Cup meeting at Angle Park.
The white and fawn dog led all the way from box two when defeating Gawler representatives Universal Value and Max Rocha by 1¾ lengths and two lengths respectively in a time of 30.73 seconds.
Peckham has been chasing Country Cup success, in its current format, since 2014 when former Tara Raceway 512 metre track record holder Thanks Tubby and Bourne Again represented Mount Gambier at Strathalbyn.
The following year, Thanks Tubby once again flew the flag for Mount Gambier, this time at Gawler. And in 2020 Dyna Carnie represented the club at Angle Park – the Country Cup by then a supporting event on Adelaide Cup night.
Last year, in the event won by Gawler representative Enthusiastic, Peckham supplied both Mount Gambier runners – Lochinvar Cahill and Midnight Blast.
However, despite being kennelled down the road at Allendale East, Federal Fernando has never raced at Tara Raceway. As such he was ineligible to represent Mount Gambier in the Country Cup.
But with five runs under his belt at Murray Bridge he was eligible to contest that club’s Country Cup qualifying heat which he duly won. Actually, he defeated another Mount Gambier-based greyhound in Hooked On Love. Takes a bit of following this Country Cup!
In Peckham’s kennels since June, Federal Fernando has now won nine races at Angle Park and Murray Bridge. Then there was that eventful night at Warrnambool on September 7 when the race he easily “won” was declared a no race due to him wearing the incorrect racing rug.
Bred and owned at Lemon Tree in NSW by Noeleen Benjes, Federal Fernando is a son of Fernando Bale and Federal Lilly, herself a winner of 15 races and more than $160,000 in prize money.
Mount Gambier’s Country Cup representatives last night were Whiskey Chaser, trained at Compton by Tracie Price, and Lachlan Mill’s Tintinara-based Spartan Brave. They finished fourth and fifth respectively.