According to Terang trainer Mark Roberts, standing in at Thursday’s Tara Raceway time-graded meeting for his son Christian, Dr. Jimmy was one of those greyhounds that no one really wanted.
“He’d been advertised for sale by the Doctors Kennels at Darriman after his first two runs, at Traralgon over 350 metres and 395 metres, had resulted in unplaced efforts,” Roberts said.
“We figured with a price tag of $1000 and being a January 2020 whelping he was probably worth a try. Even though his first three runs for us at Warrnambool and Mount Gambier were nothing special, we thought he was close to putting it altogether.”
And the son of Bernado and Dr. Klaas certainly put it altogether in the Produce Store Maiden Stake (400 m) when leading all the way from box eight to defeat Rocky Cadillac by 10¾ lengths in a best of day time of 23.19 seconds.
Meanwhile, with the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club looking to encourage further 512 metre racing at its Thursday meetings, the switch of the July heats and final Fast Forward from 400 metres to the longer journey seemed to work pretty well.
Two 512 metre heats were run at the previous meeting with the fastest six, irrespective of finishing position, advancing to the added money final on Thursday.
And it was Langhorne Creek trainer Tony Hinrichsen who collected the $1150 first prize after Barefoot Rebel led all the way from box one to defeat Tracie Price’s pair of Mepunga Gem and Pirate Gold in 29.96 seconds.
For Barefoot Rebel, who has now raced at Tara Raceway on three occasions, it was a case of the son of My Bro Fabio x Tarks Black Rose maintaining his unbeaten record at the track.
The Thursday Fast Forward 1-4 wins concept will now alternate on a monthly basis between 400 metres and 512 metres.