They don’t come much better bred than Sweet Panama, winner by a country mile of the Bartholomew Pick 6 Maiden Stake (512 metres) at Tara Raceway on Thursday.
By the boom US sire Superior Panama (KC And All x USS Ceremony), the February 2020 whelping is out of Sweet It Is (Mogambo x Off Springer), a winner of 23 races and $945,000 in stakemoney.
Purchased as a pup, Sweet Panama is raced by Ballarat butcher Ben Clay and reared and also trained at Two Wells by Bec Romyn. He was lining up for his third start after two unplaced runs over 530 metres at Angle Park.
And the black dog was never in any danger of defeat, eventually running out a 12 lengths winner over Compton Kim in a quick 29.77 seconds – the fastest maiden time this year at Tara Raceway.
Later, Romyn brought up a double when Rockstar Ruby, a daughter of Fernando Bale and Red Rocks, led all the way in the Klaassens Contractors Stake (512 m) to defeat Silver Cadillac by 1¾ lengths in 29.89 seconds.
It was the end of another successful day at Tara Raceway for the 40-year-old Romyn who at the previous Sunday meeting had won with the Clay-owned Viatrix and Sevilla in a best of day 23.05 seconds (400 m).
A trainer in Victoria for 13 years prior to relocating to SA in July 2020, she first made her presence felt locally at this year’s Commercial Hotel Mount Gambier Cup in April with Renewed, a heat winner and subsequent runner-up to Zipping Zarbo in the final.
And speaking of hotels. The Commercial Hotel will be one of eight hotels represented at next Sunday’s South-East Hoteliers Day at Tara Raceway. Others involved are Jens Hotel, Pines Hotel, Park Hotel, South Eastern Hotel, South Aussie Hotel, Mount Gambier Hotel and the Federal Hotel.
Looking to resurrect in some small way the tradition of publicans and greyhound coursing, the main race of the day will be known as the Licensed Victuallers Challenge. This will be run over 512 metres with the eight hotels drawing a runner and hoping to win the LVC.