Flying Ricciardo x Miami Fernando litter brothers Way Cool and High Cube gave Portland trainer Robert Halliday and his wife Shirley a good start in the first round of last Sunday’s two heats of the inaugural Trackside Tri-Distance series.

Sponsored by Trackside Pet Meats, the first of the opening heats, over 512 metres, allocated the seven runners points ranging from 10 down to two in order of finish. The second heat carried points of 10 down to three for the six runners.

And Way Cool overcame box six to settle in third spot down the back before finishing strongly in the run home to defeat Kia Keeping by 1¼ lengths with a further half-length back to Trading Halt in third spot in a time of 30.03 seconds.

Over last Sunday from Simson were Jaz Blake and her husband Calum who had the Brooke Young owned Rivia Umiko – last a winner at Tara Raceway in February – engaged in the second heat of the Tri-Distance series.

Leading all the way from box seven, the daughter of Fernando Bale and Rivia Bale brought up her tenth win for Blake and Young when defeating High Cube by 1¾ lengths in a personal best time of 29.87 seconds. And picking up points for third was Chuck A Party.

This Sunday will see the contenders take on the second round, this time over 305 metres. The leading point scorers from the first two rounds will then contest the 400 metre Tri-Distance final on Sunday, June 21.

After last Sunday’s first round, scoring for the two heats is: Heat 1 – Way Cool 10, Kia Keeping 8, Trading Halt 6, Bomb Rocky 5, Oregon Caldwell 4, Rough Boy Rocky 3, Compton Chinook 2. Heat 2 – Rivia Umiko 10, High Cube 8, Chuck A Party 6, Bali Unleashed 5, Dimora Bernie 4, Duran Rachel 3.

Meanwhile, back at Tara Raceway last Sunday after having been laid-up for some time with a severe ankle injury, was Robert Taylor of Warracknabeal.

His involvement with the local track goes back to Sunday, April 6, 2014, together with owner Gordon Thompson and a greyhound called Noble Haste who was having his first start at the track in the Barry’s Door Services Stake over 512 metres.

And the son of Heston Bale x Mandy Shiraz led all the way from box four when defeating Nicole Stanley’s Wyndham Star by eight lengths in a best of day time of 29.77 seconds.

Taylor was back last Sunday with a couple of first starters in Franky’s Cash and Nulla Danny Boy. Also on track was Debbie Musgrove, the owner of Redeem Our Cash, the dam of Franky’s Cash, who is a son of Feral Franky.

Lining up from box five in the Williams Crane Hire Maiden Stake (305 m), Franky’s Cash led all the way when defeating Bourne Reagan by three-quarters of a length in 17.94 seconds.

The black dog, one of five young greyhounds Taylor currently has in work, is owned by a local builder from over Warracknabeal way in Lachie McGinniss who had previously raced only one other dog.

For Taylor, it’s a case of having been involved in the sport since the Horsham Greyhound Racing Club’s opening night back on December 16, 1973. These days he’s also the vice-president of the Horsham club.

He rates one of his better dogs as Nitro Georgie, a daughter of Fernando Bale and Nitro Cee, who was successful at Horsham, Ballarat and Warrnambool during 2020-21.