Lektra Trigger’s smart win over litter sister Lektra Abbi in last Sunday’s Todd’s Photographics Stake (512 metres) at Tara Raceway now has owner-trainer Phil Lenehan weighing up his options for the Cadillac Racing Mount Gambier Cup.
Away well from box four, Lektra Trigger settled in second spot behind his sister before taking up the running turning for home and finishing strongly for a 3¼ length win in an equal best of the day 29.59 seconds.
By Fernando Bale, the pair is out of eight-race winner Lektra Perry, a daughter of Destini Fireball and Lektra Angie – also the dam of Lektra Stomp, runner-up for Lenehan in the 2018 Mount Gambier Cup.
“The Mount Gambier Cup is a race I would love to win given that the line of Lektra Trigger traces back to Immortal Flash who won the cup in 1993 out at Glenburnie for my father, Brian,” said the Toolong-based Lenehan.
“From a cup point of view, Lektra Trigger is very young and inexperienced, being a rising two-year-old and with only eight races to his name. But I thought he looked pretty good and was pleasantly surprised by the time he ran.”
Aston Kalkara kept his Mount Gambier Cup hopes alive with another outstanding win in the Cadillac Racing Mixed Stake (512 m) for owner Ray Borda and Dennington trainer Dustin Drew.
Well back early, the son of Aston Kimetto and Aston Upton maintained his unbeaten record at the track when storming home for his third win. On the line he had two lengths to spare over recent Murray Bridge Cup finalist Federal Flash in 29.59 seconds.
“He spent quite a bit of time off the scene during the latter part of last year,” Drew said. “But I believe he’s now starting to get back to the sort of form that saw him reach the Warrnambool Cup final 12 months ago.”
And following another impressive performance at Tara Raceway, Southern Cross owner-trainer Garry Elliott is now seriously considering a run in the cup with Lightning Pest.
The daughter of Lightning Frank and Rixy Ya Pest virtually led all the way in the Williams Crane Hire Stake (512 m) when defeating Rough Boy Devil by 8¾ lengths in 29.66 seconds.
“To be honest, the Mount Gambier Cup had never really been a consideration for her,” said Elliott when asked about the cup. “But the way she’s racing here at the moment I reckon Lightning Pest has probably done enough to warrant a nomination.”
Heats of the Cadillac Racing Mount Gambier Cup (512 m) will be run at Tara Raceway on Sunday, April 7. The $36,000 Group 3 final will be conducted the following Sunday.
On the Friday prior to the cup heats (April 5) will be the Calcutta. Set down for a 6 p.m. start at Tara Raceway, tickets will be on sale at $1 each or $80 for 100. Barbecue and salad meals will be available with the Calcutta auction commencing at 7 p.m.
Meanwhile, Eureka Robbie’s win in the Swallow Drive Meats Mixed Stake (512 m) was Woolsthorpe trainer Kurt Howard’s first Tara Raceway winner since Capra more than 12 months ago.
Owned at Allansford by Jacob Rea, the son of Allen Deed and Flo Lava had plenty of ground to make up early before rounding up the field off the back and powering away to a 6¾ length win over Bungaloo Bruiser in 30.50 seconds.
For Rea, the win was his first after he had gone in partnership with Howard who also bred the litter.
“We both reared our share of the litter before breaking them in together,” said Howard. “I’m now looking to prepare Eureka Robbie for a 650 metres at Warrnambool. I believe he has all the makings of a handy stayer.”
These days Howard is kept pretty busy, the 28-year-old working full-time as a carpenter and also looking after six greyhounds on his two-acre property.
Another son of Allen Deed to win on the day was Smart Operator. He led all the way in the Klaassens Contractors Stake (400 m) when defeating Huntsman by three-quarters of a length in 23.00 seconds for Penshurst owner-trainer John Cameron.
And for Cameron, his last win at Tara Raceway also had been 12 months ago with Agnes.
His involvement with the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club goes back a number of years – Camo’s Lucky winning the first Newman McDonnell Memorial to be run at a TAB meeting at Tara Raceway in 2012.