For Portland greyhound owner-trainer Robert Halliday his three winners – Way Cool, Wangler and Yadillah Lad – at last Sunday’s Tara Raceway meeting had been his first treble in close to four years.
That had been back on August 12, 2021 at a time-graded meeting when This Time Bro, Rotate and Shady Past had been successful.
Way Cool, a nicely-bred son of Flying Ricciardo and Miami Fernando, was purchased as a pup by the Halliday family. He went into the Federal Hotel Stake (512 m) having won or been placed at his past five starts at the local track.
And the brindle dog, after overcoming an ordinary start, worked into the race down the back before fighting out the finish with Vixen Force – a half-length separating the pair on the line in 30.32 seconds.
Earlier in the day, Way Cool’s litter brother Tattooist ran a three-quarter length second to Linda Gore’s Moonlight Jazz in the Cadillac Racing Maiden Stake (305 m) while another Halliday-trained litter brother, High Cube, was a luckless fourth in the Grade 5 final (512 m).
Halliday’s treble came up in the final two races of the day by way of a pair of litter brothers. And both races – the Commercial Hotel Stake (400 m) and the Metal Worx Stake (400 m) – were won in 23.44 seconds.
Bred by their trainer, Wangler and Yadillah Lad are by Bernardo out of Spirited Bingle, a 15-race winner.
Chasing his first win since last November, Wangler led all the way from box one and in a busy finish held on for a half-length win over Harry Chana. And in the final race it was the 25/1 chance Yadillah Lad who finished strongly when defeating Forgotten Fury by a length.
Halliday, in celebration mode, obviously could sense a big day coming. Earlier in the day he had chopped up a couple of chocolate bars with his pocket knife and served the pieces from the top of a track rubbish bin to anyone game enough to partake of the delicacies – and there were a few!
And sticking with the Portland theme was the locally owned Mocambora Mia who is raced by Scott Blacksell and trained on the SA side of the border at Allendale East by David Peckham.
By Superior Panama out of Sweet On Me, Mocambora Mia led all the way from box four in the Trackside Pet Meats Pick 6 Stake (305 m) when defeating another Portland-based greyhound in Senior Citizen, trained by Nifty Lenehan.
As a result of the win by the “charity dog” another much appreciated $50 was donated to the Tara Tipsters charity jar by Blacksell.