Thursday, July 11, 2019
After best of the day wins at Tara Raceway last Sunday with Lektra Viki and Lektra Brandy, Portland greyhound trainer Nifty Lenehan now heads into Sunday’s Anniversary Cup heats (512 metres) at Tara Raceway full of confidence with the litter sisters.
By KC And All, the pair is out of Lektra Scarlett, currently the leading dam with 18 wins this year at Tara Raceway after half-brother Spinning Jakit (by Spring Gun) was also successful on the day for Edenhope trainer Cap Abbott in the Gambier Vets Mixed Stake (600 m).
Lektra Viki was finally rewarded for her consistency with last Sunday’s win in the South Eastern Hotel Open Stake (400 m) coming on the back of eight consecutive minor placings at Mount Gambier, Angle Park and Warrnambool.
And the black bitch never looked in any danger of defeat, leading all the way from box four to defeat current Mount Gambier Greyhound of the Year leader Dimora Flash by three lengths in 22.95 seconds.
This was the quickest run at the track since Usain Insane clocked the same time on December 9 last year and was within a creditable 2½ lengths of Cryer’s Ricky’s 22.78 seconds track record, standing since February 19, 2016.
Although last Sunday’s Fairthorne Forestry Open Stake (512 m) was robbed of much interest due to the scratchings of Hutch and Usain Insane, Lektra Brandy’s win was still a terrific Anniversary Cup trial.
Currently in career-best form, Lektra Brandy led all the way, eventually defeating Dyna Naitch by 5¾ lengths in 29.56 seconds, the fastest time run over 512 metres at Tara Raceway since Galactic Athena’s 29.43 seconds in this year’s Fairthorne Forestry Mount Gambier Cup.
This year will mark 40 years of mechanical lure greyhound racing in the South East and the 35th running of the Anniversary Cup – three heats of this year’s event to be decided on Sunday afternoon in the lead-up to the final on July 21.
Lektra Viki has drawn box eight in the first heat, Spinning Jakit and last week’s Tara Trackstar winner Flash Jackie looking two of the hardest to beat.
And Lektra Brandy has drawn box four again in an interesting third heat which includes the speedy Renmore in box one, along with Saint David and Azalea Monelli.
Saint David, trained at Koroit by Peter Byrne, hasn’t won since April but is a winner of six races from 27 starts and is a quick 29.31 seconds winner at Sandown Park over 515 metres.
Azalea Monelli, who will have her first start for Allendale East trainer David Peckham in a time-graded race at Tara Raceway today, will find the going a bit tougher on Sunday but does have smart winning times to her credit at Angle Park, Cannington and Mandurah.
Portland trainer Nicole Stanley will be chasing her third consecutive Anniversary Cup after winning with Fiorelli Rose in 2017 and then following up with Ben Nevis and looks well represented in the second heat with Wanchai Express, one of the fastest greyhounds to go around Tara Raceway.
Meanwhile, while maiden 400 metre events don’t usually attract all that much attention, Sunday’s first race, the Klaassens Contractors Stake, is likely to attract as much, if not more, interest than the Anniversary Cup heats.
Breeder-owner Robert Chuck has seemingly once again referenced Greek mythology when naming another of his Paddy Whacker x Galactic Rumball litter Galactic Zeus, who now joins Galactic Athena and Galactic Titan.
Tara Raceway trial morning regulars have been singing the praises of this big brindle dog for some time now so it’s going to be interesting to see if the Greek god of sky and thunder can create a storm of his own on Sunday.
Also making her debut in the same race will be Galactic Horizon, the pair being the last of the successful litter to race.
Looking to keep the winners coming, Chuck’s latest litter of two dogs and three bitches – whelped last week at Moorak – is by Dyna Lachlan out of Storm Allen, a daughter of Bekim Bale and Horizon Bale.
Chuck said the litter had been a long time coming and that the now seven-year-old Storm Allen, who raced on 74 occasions for six wins and 31 minor placings at Angle Park, Gawler and Geelong, would not be mated again.