Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Many Winners Syndicate members Peter Keane, Lindsay Brookes and Gary Thomson, of Koroit, were back at Tara Raceway for last Sunday’s meeting, no doubt hoping for things to go better than several nights’ earlier at Warrnambool where they had Our Ando engaged.
And Our Ando, lining up from box one over 390 metres, certainly looked set to open his winning account at only his second race start when he established a big lead in the home straight – a flock of seagulls scattering as the lure with the brindle dog hotly in pursuit approached.
Things were going well for the Fernando Bale x Sisco Sizzle litter. The Thursday night prior, litter sister Daisy Doo had won her maiden at Warrnambool over 450 metres for the syndicate and now Our Ando was home for all money.
Well, not quite. In the end he finished second, easing before the finish line and later copping 28 days for failing to chase.
“You don’t get much closer to that without winning,” lamented Thomson.
Long-time trainer Keane, who had seen it all before, said on Sunday that he had considered appealing the suspension on the grounds that the seagulls had distracted Our Ando in the run up the home straight.
“I contacted the powers that be who, while conceding it was a nice try, pointed out that there had been plenty of better excuses offered in the past as far as failing to chase was concerned and most of them had failed. It could be a long drive back to Koroit from Melbourne, they suggested.”
As far as Daisy Doo was concerned, the intrepid trio, leaving no stone unturned, had previously been to Tara Raceway on a trial morning, the brindle bitch handling a rain-soaked track in a manner that had pleased connections.
A well-supported second favourite in Sunday’s Winningformula.net.au Stake (400 m), she quickly found the front and, at the risk of pre-empting the result, was always going to win – by three lengths over Like A Slug in a quick 23.09 seconds.
Sisco Sizzle, a daughter of Barcia Bale x Sisco Power and a half-sister to Sisco Rage, a winner of 29 races and $257,000 in stakemoney, won four races at Warrnambool from only 20 race starts.
With the intention of eventually breeding, the syndicate, which also includes Keane’s sister-in-law Bev Keane and Graham Dix, purchased Sisco Sizzle for $4,500 at the Ready2Race sale at Bendigo in 2016.
“We did pretty well with the Fernando Bale mating because she had six dogs and six bitches. We kept three and then when she was mated to Thirty Talks, whelping two dogs and four bitches in March this year, we held onto four,” said syndicate manager Brookes.
Meanwhile, time-graded greyhound racing returns to Tara Raceway on Thursday with the Metal Worx Mixed Stake over 600 metres the best race on the 12-event card.
Lewiston trainer Kevin Bewley returns after a treble a fortnight ago and looks to hold a strong hand in the middle-distance event with My Boy Bean and Chaddy Whacker.
Both greyhounds have seen the track, My Boy Bean a winner at Angle Park over both 600 metres and 731 metres while Chaddy Whacker is a last start 643 metre winner at Gawler.
And David Peckham of Allendale East has taken over the training of Dyna Carnie for leading SA owners Tim Aloisi and Matt Lehman.
A winner over the middle-distance at Sandown Park and The Meadows, Dyna Carnie is by Kelsos Fusileer out of former champion stayer Xylia Allen, a winner of 40 races and $743,000 in stakemoney.