Friday, January 10, 2020
As far as the nicely-bred bitch Zipping Capri is concerned the decision of Woodcroft owner Damien Smith to send her down to Glenroy greyhound trainer Richard Clayfield has paid dividends, the brindle bitch having now won at her only two starts at Tara Raceway.
By Kinloch Brae, she’s out of Zipping Meg, a winner of eight races including a 29.26 seconds 515 metres Sandown Park win and $46,000 in stakemoney, Zipping Capri hanging on to defeat Close To Carnage by a neck in a handy 23.17 seconds at yesterday’s time-graded meeting.
The win, in the Greyhound-Data.com Stake (400 m), came on the back of success a week prior when she had won on debut at Tara Raceway and broken a seven-month losing streak.
Smith purchased her from NSW in May last year after she had won three races over 365 metres at Nowra, Zipping Capri then winning over 400 metres at Gawler and Angle Park (388 m) before injury sidelined her for much of the latter part of the year.
“She suffered an Achilles injury in September and it was full on treatment-wise until December when she ran a couple of 388 metre thirds at Angle Park. It was then that I contacted Richard to see if he would be interested in giving her a go at Tara Raceway,” Smith said.
Smith had previously been based at Penola with partner Lauren, the pair now having their hands full, not only with young son Stefan but also after the recent arrival of twins Allegra and Bentley.
Watsargo, trained in Mount Gambier by David Williams, found the going a bit easier yesterday in the Fairthorne Forestry Stake (400 m) after having previously run into the record-breaking Dyna Carnie on a couple of occasions.
Raced by the trainer’s father, Allen, Watsargo always had the odds-on Renmore in his sights, railing through on the home turn before running away to a one length win in 23.49 seconds – the black dog’s first win in 10 months when he was successful at Gawler.
By Barcia Bale, Watsargo is out of Sandown Park winner Big Bang Marjen and, after being advertised on Greyhound-Data, was purchased in June last year as a six-race winner at Angle Park, Gawler and Murray Bridge.
But it would be another four months before he made his debut at Tara Raceway.
“I reckon the best way to put it would be that I needed to be patient and both the dog and I also had to come to terms with each other’s idiosyncrasies,” Williams said.
“Aside from that, though, I really believe that the slipping track at Tara Raceway – a real bonus to the ‘backyard trainer’ – has helped to sort him out.”
Akuma Fireball was another one to break a losing streak, the black dog last winning at Tara Raceway back in early August over 512 metres for Portland owner-trainer Andy Graham.
Jumping from box five in The Border Watch Stake (400 m), the black dog set himself a fair task after a slow start and even at the home turn he looked little chance of reeling in Black Moscato, Master Moment or Rattle Can You.
But in the run home the son of former champion stayer Destini Fireball swamped the opposition, winning by three-quarters of a length in 23.70 seconds, his nonplussed trainer at a loss to explain the turnaround in form.
“I guess it was a case of him simply being in the right place at the right time. It was a pleasing win, though, because he really is a nice dog and a pleasure to have around the kennels,” said Graham, who purchased Akuma Fireball for $1000 after his Tara Raceway maiden win in June last year.
Killarney training team, Kevin and Raylene Gavin, won their first race at Tara Raceway in 12 months when Narcelle defeated kennelmate Reggie Ryan in the Rock’s Retreat Stake (400 m), the runner-up, in fact, their last winner.
Narcelle, having her first look at the track and her first run for Kevin Gavin, led all the way from box three, Reggie Ryan doing the chasing but no match for the giant 33½ kilograms black bitch which bolted in by 8¾ lengths in 23.20 seconds.
A giveaway after winning at Geelong back in November, the Gavins picked up Narcelle from long-time Lara acquaintance Ron McCullagh.
“Look, we only race giveaways and we have a bit a fun with them,” said Kevin Gavin. “In fact, I reckon we’ve only ever purchased one greyhound and it was no good.”
Narcelle is by Barcia Bale, who sired four winners at Tara Raceway yesterday, out of Motorette, a litter sister to Fully Advanced, a winner of 22 races and $169,000 in stakemoney.
And we probably won’t see the David Peckham trained Call Me Billy any time soon at a Tara Raceway Thursday meeting after his blistering 29.58 seconds win in the Greg Martlew Autos Stake (512 m).
His win was the first leg of a two-track double for the Barcia Bale x Call Me Gee litter, Dusseldorp winning at Warrnambool on Thursday night.