Local success with a couple of Victorian purchases in One Tonne and Gold Rocks has resulted in Captain Abbott and Kerry Hawker of Edenhope becoming further involved with the progeny of Pamela Rocks.
The litter brother and sister, who last raced at 40 kilograms and 34 kilograms respectively, are out of Pamela Rocks’ first litter – by Matt’s Entity, a winner of 49 races from 103 starts.
In April last year, Pamela Rocks whelped a second litter of four dogs and three bitches, this time by Fernando Bale. And later, Abbott and Hawker purchased the entire litter, along with the dam.
Then, last month at Edenhope, Pamela Rocks whelped a litter of three dogs and five dogs to the Irish sire Premier Fantasy.
A winner over 650 metres at Shepparton back in 2018, Pamela Rocks is by Barcia Bale out of Vapour Whirl bitch Punk Rock Lass who when mated with the imported Kinloch Brae produced Rhonda Rocks.
And while Rhonda Rocks raced only twice for one win, from two matings with Fernando Bale she produced triple Group 1 winner Sennachie and Angle Park 730 metre record holder Frankie Boy.
Meanwhile, Heathmere trainer Garry Marshman, last successful at Tara Raceway two years ago with Crazy Old Bird and Crazy Old Duck, scored a tidy win with Jean Crisp last Sunday in the Exchange Printers Stake (400 m).
Bred by Marshman and raced by his partner Vikki Jaensch, Jean Crisp is a daughter of Zinzan Brooke and Shotgun Doll, a grade five heat and final winner over 400 metres at Tara Raceway back in 2017.
He has a long association with the “Doll” line at the Mount Gambier track, Star Doll (a daughter of Flaming Doll) running a 400 metre track record of 23.05 seconds back on April 19, 2013. Shotgun Doll is a granddaughter of Flaming Doll.
Involved in greyhound racing on and off for 40 years, Marshman had no hesitation in naming multiple city winner Bending Away, a son of Nobody’s Fool x Walkamin, as his best dog in that time.
Family patriarch Doug Hammerstein, who recently turned 80, landed his second win with Lektra Nick when the son of Zambora Brockie and Lektra Viki narrowly defeated Smokey River in last Sunday’s Todd’s Photographics Stake (400 m).
The Ararat-based Hammerstein, a Tara Raceway regular with son Paul, has also won one race at the local track with Lektra Sammy, the January 2020 litter brothers purchased from Phil Lenehan in late January.
“To be honest our racing stocks had really dwindled,” said Paul Hammerstein. “So I rang Phil to see if he had any young racing stock that he would be interested in selling. He suggested this pair and they’re keeping Dad interested.”
Glencoe trainer Dean Fennell continues to defy the odds over 400 metres with Blake’s Crossing – an $18 winner at the end of last month before following up with a win at $41 last Sunday in the Klaassens Contractors Stake.
Prior to those wins, he had last won over 600 metres back in September when a $1.85 favourite.
By Fernando Bale out of Sweet Barbados, Blake’s Crossing is a member of a pretty handy litter that includes King Of Calypso, a winner of 20 races and $126,000 in stakemoney and Barbados Express (16, $56,000).