Tuesday, December 10, 2019
It was a big day for long-time Mount Gambier greyhound racing identity Michael Robinson after the April 2018 Dyna Double One x Miss Freelove littermates Vossy and Perseverance were successful at last Sunday’s Tara Raceway meeting.
Vossy, trained at Compton by the breeder, Tracie Price, for Robinson and fellow local owner Willie Vossen, was having her first race start when lining up from box one in the Fairthorne Forestry Maiden Stake (400 metres).
And the fawn bitch handled herself pretty well, quickly shaking off Miss Classique before running away to a 3½ lengths win in a slick 23.19 seconds – a time that possibly surprised even her connections.
The win also presented Price and the owners with an extra $1000 to supplement the $610 first prize, the SA-Bred maiden bonus being shared between the breeder and owners.
Robinson’s first involvement with greyhounds goes back to 1976 and a dog called Habba’s Pride while Vossen’s first dog was Kate’s Hope in 1985 although it wasn’t until early 2015 that the pair joined forces and purchased a pup from Price.
“We took a fancy straight away to a black bitch pup by Bekim Bale out of Lucy’s Moment and between 2016 and 2018 she raced on 67 occasions as Bekim Lucy’s, winning 11 races including one over the distance (731 m) at Angle Park,” Robinson said.
Then, back in early 2018, the pair was out at Compton, once again looking at pups and in particular a litter out of a bitch called Miss Freelove.
“A mad chaser and beautifully bred (Smooth Fancy x Casey’s Angel), she’d won one race at Cannington and three at Mandurah but from all accounts had been lucky to race at all after sustaining severe injuries as a pup in a yard accident,” Robinson said.
“Willie liked this fawn bitch (later to race as Vossy) and I was agreeable to go in with him although there was a black bitch pup that really took my fancy, mainly because her markings were similar to those of Bekim Lucy’s.
“And while Willie was quite happy to settle for the fawn pup I wanted that black one right or wrong so in the end I purchased her myself for $2000.”
Now racing as Perseverance, and trained for Robinson at Glencoe by Dean Fennell, the black bitch lined up from box eight in the Produce Store Grade Five final (512 m), looking to add to her record of three wins from 12 starts at the track.
But she generally makes it hard for herself. Another slow start saw her last early and with still a fair amount of work to do at the half-way mark. She has a fair sort of motor, though, as borne out by her eventual three lengths win in 29.76 seconds – a time that definitely would have surprised connections.
Meanwhile, Miss Freelove, a litter sister to other winning producers in Miss Betsy and Someday Lady, whelped her second litter on November 13, this time to Mepunga Blazer who is attracting plenty of attention from breeders.
And what’s the betting that it won’t be long before Robinson and Vossen are out at Compton again, checking out the four dogs and four bitches?