Monday, June 4, 2018
Since Molly Wally was successful at Tara Raceway’s opening meeting in early January, the winners have pretty well kept coming for Portland trainer Robert Halliday.
And Sudden Call, at his tenth start since his debut, also at the opening meeting, brought up the long-time trainer’s 20th success at the track this year in the Laser Electrical Maiden Stake (512 m) at Friday’s time-graded meeting.
On the pace early, Sudden Call, a son of Fabregas and Guru Doll, finished the race off strongly, winning by 5¾ lengths in 30.40 seconds, rewarding the trainer’s patience in the April 2016 dog that he also bred.
Halliday, and fellow long-time trainer Cap Abbott, of Edenhope, look likely to battle it out for third spot on this year’s trainers’ list behind Tracie Price and Nicole Stanley, Abbott landing a double on Friday when his $200 dog Emily As won her sixth race for him and recent giveaway Dark Vader brought up his third win in the space of a fortnight.
An earlier Guru Doll litter by Cosmic Rumble has seen Halliday enjoy success with Odd Boots and Brinza. Then in October last year he mated her with General Destini – four dogs and three bitches subsequently whelped on Christmas Eve.
This was a mating that came about after Hutch won last year’s Tara Raceway Summer Classic which also carried a service to General Destini.
Hutch, a son of Premier Fantasy and Cairnlea Ellie and a winner of 17 races, is the star of Halliday’s small, select team. As such, he was recently disappointed when a promised deal on young pups out of the Peter Hubbard-bred Cairnlea Ellie – and her litter sister Cairnlea Layla – failed to materialise.
Halliday had been a long-time friend of Hubbard, who died in November 2016 at the age of 56, as had Port Power coach Ken Hinkley, who is still involved in some of the Cairnlea greyhounds.
As it turned out, Hinkley had four pups whelped on February 27, 2018 by the US sire SH Avatar out of Cairnlea Shadow, a daughter of Cairnlea Layla and unraced due to injury as a pup.
“Ken offered me two pups and being really keen to ensure I always have a few young dogs coming on I jumped at the opportunity. It was a generous offer and one for which I am very grateful.”