Mount Gambier’s leading trainers, Tracie Price and David Peckham, will be chasing further Newman McDonnell Memorial success at Tara Raceway on Sunday afternoon in what will be the 40th running of the time-honoured 512 metre event.
For Price, his first memorial win had been in 2010 with Teddy La Plume, a son of Go Wild Teddy and Sun La Girl. Since then he has been successful in 2018 with Banjo Lass and last year with outsider Wild Milly.
The Peckham-trained Bourne Again won the memorial in 2013 and 2014 prior to Midnight Daisy, a daughter of Fernando Bale and Midnight News, defeating Rajasthan in 2020 in a time of 30.12 seconds.
Three heats of the McDonnell Memorial were run in ordinary weather conditions last Sunday. And it was the Allendale East-based Peckham’s Terrific Bobby who won the first heat after a terrific battle with Littlefoot.
Owned by Mikayla Schulz, Terrific Bobby – based locally since September – overcame a slow start from box seven before finding the rails down the back straight and taking the lead.
But it was a tight go in the home straight with the leader holding on to defeat the Elysia Bartholomew trained Littlefoot by three-quarters of a length in 30.34 seconds. A close-up third was Kev Patzel’s Aston Darwin who also secured a spot in this Sunday’s final.
By Superior Panama out of Zipping Irene, Terrific Bobby has now won 15 races, the past two at Tara Raceway while in Peckham’s care.
And Patzel will now be looking to emulate his father Ralph, a former trainer and Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club life member, when it comes to the memorial final on Sunday.
Patzel snr was the owner-trainer of Edgar Bale, a son of El Grando x Lycinda Bale, who defeated Ella Rule and Go Hoss in the 2009 Newman McDonnell Memorial in a time of 30.56 seconds.
The Robert Halliday trained Way Cool caused something of a surprise in the second heat when running 30.13 seconds – in what turned out to be the fastest of the three qualifying races – and defeating the Price trained odds-on favourite Chuck A Party by two lengths.
Chasing his first win in six months, the son of Flying Ricciardo and Miami Fernando jumped well from box eight and took up the running from Paw London down the back before holding out the favourite and Ray Mahony’s Sweet Secret. The three placegetters also advanced to the final.
In the final heat it was the awkwardly drawn box six runner Dirty Dash who was in front at the first turn and eventually ran out a 5¼ length winner over the Judi Hurley trained Mr. Burner in 30.40 seconds. The pair makes up the eight finalists.
A son of Fernando Bale and Angel Dash, Dirty Dash is another of the finalists who had been out of the winner’s list for a while. He’s trained by Price, who also part-owns the black and white dog in partnership with Garry Harding and 15-year-old Liam Sharam of Penola.
Earlier in the day young Sharam’s father Stuey had Shoot The Breeze engaged from box four in the Metal Worx Stake (305 m).
The son of Feral Franky and Nordegren is raced by Wayne and Julie Smith of Mildura, owners of Sharp Thief who in April this year ran a terrific race for Sharam when finishing second to Aston Gozo in the Group 3 Mount Gambier Cup.
Shoot The Breeze, previously a winner of four races at Bendigo and Sandown Park, was having only his second run at the local track and, according to Sharam, not really that well placed over 305 metres.
In what was a rough-house affair, Shoot The Breeze was able to find the front off the back before running out a 1½ length winner over Crowie Unleashed in 17.99 seconds.
That turned out to be a good start to the day for the father and son team.
And the Mount Gambier Greyhound of the Year (GOTY) two-dog war between Wind Whiskers and Mister Cadillac continued at Tara Raceway last Sunday.
Trained at Millicent by Dave Green, Wind Whiskers made it five wins in succession and 22 all told when leading all the way from box one in the Commercial Hotel Open Stake (512 m). On the line she had 2¼ lengths to spare over Magic Tom in 30.05 seconds.
Captain Abbott’s Mister Cadillac, who had won four races in succession prior to going down to Wind Whiskers the previous week, bounced back last Sunday when defeating Wario by 1½ lengths in 17.65 seconds in the Icon Signs Mixed Stake (305 m).
With six Sunday meetings remaining this year, Wind Whiskers currently has 85 GOTY points and Mister Cadillac 67.
