Tuesday, January 1, 2019
Mumbannar trainer Monty Wilson once again achieved his self-set goal of averaging a win a month with his team of giveaway greyhounds when Moraine Pippa was successful in last Sunday’s Winmore Greyhound Kennels Maiden Stake (400 metres) at Tara Raceway’s time-graded meeting.
In fact, after a slow start which saw Wilson failing to open his winning account until April, Moraine Pippa’s success at Mount Gambier’s final meeting of the year took her trainer’s tally to 14 wins for 2018.
Having her first race start on the back of some impressive Tara Raceway trials, the black bitch, which is raced by Wilson’s wife Jen, did the job well when taking over down the back and then running away to a seven length win in 23.50 seconds.
And according to Wilson, who races only giveaway greyhounds, Moraine Pippa could be the one that has slipped under the radar.
“Obviously when you work with only giveaways there are going to be plenty that don’t win a race,” he said. “But I reckon this little girl could be the one that we have been looking for.
“We got her back in October after she had been broken-in and then finished down the line at the Warrnambool picnic meeting.
“However, since then she had trialled really well at Tara Raceway, her only downside being that she was a noisy kennel dog, although a change in her daily routine looks to have solved that problem.”
Now, while Wilson is more than happy with Moraine Pippa, he’s the first to admit that the October 2016 whelping is still a fair way off from being ready to take on Tara Raceway’s top greyhounds over 512 metres.
So, with that in mind, it was somewhat surprising to see her drawn in box four up against Paraphernalia and company in Sunday’s New Year’s Gift (512 m) at Tara Raceway after winning only a maiden 400 metre time-graded event at her first start.
“No, there was a mix-up there,” he conceded. “Of course it wasn’t my intention to have her in that race and as a result she won’t be running on Sunday. Mind you, I’m hoping in the not too distant future that she will be taking on that calibre of dog.”
By Dyna Double One, Moraine Pippa is out of Sandown Park winner Mepunga Lana (Premier Fantasy x Mepunga Diva) who later in the day produced another winner in the form of Bella Express, trained at Warrnambool by Stephen Bruce.
From an October 2014 mating by US sire Bella Infrared, Bella Express led all the way from box seven in the Gordon Refrigeration Stake (512 m), eventually defeating Big Rough by 6½ lengths in a best of day 30.01 seconds to bring up his 19th win at start number 107.
Time-graded meeting supporters Kevin and Raylene Gavin landed their first Tara Raceway double when their giveaways Reggie Ryan and Pingin’ Bee were successful, much to the delight of their 12-year-old granddaughter Carisma who made the trip over with them from Killarney.
Having his second look at the track after joining the kennel a month ago, Reggie Ryan led all the way in the JB Irrigation Stake (400 m), holding out All About Now to win by a head in 23.68 seconds.
And according to Kevin Gavin, there should be further improvement in the November 2016 son of Magic Sprite and eight-race winner Boston Silver – the black dog picked up after being advertised as a giveaway on greyhound internet site Greyhound-Data.
“I think he still needs more time. He’s immature and at the moment just wants to play,” he said. “Also, he probably needs a little more weight off him.”
Pingin’ Bee, who joined the Killarney kennel in October after stints of racing in NSW, Victoria and Adelaide, staged a big effort to win the Greyhound-Data.com Stake (512 m).
Last early from box three, the daughter of Fabregas x Zipping Genie still had plenty of work to do mid-race but railed through off the back before running away to a 2½ length win over Raglan Bindi in 30.46 seconds.
Last Sunday’s double resulted in the long-time husband and wife training team wrapping up the year with eight winners at Tara Raceway with their team of giveaway greyhounds.
Time-graded meeting newcomer Paul Cusack of Mount Cottrell made the trip over with partner and fellow trainer Donna Beasley, this being her first time at Tara Raceway.
And they went home with a winner in the form of Able who, despite using plenty of the track in the home straight, led all the way in the Rock’s Retreat Stake (400 m) to defeat Dare To Do by a length in 23.52 seconds.
Able is by Fabregas out of the nicely bred Magic Castle (Where’s Pedro x Ice Dancer) who when trained at Lewiston by Don Turner won seven races at Angle Park, Gawler and Port Augusta in the space of four months.
Turner also initially trained Able, winning short course races at Strathalbyn and Angle Park before Cusack took over the black dog as a giveaway in June this year.