Galactic Nemesis, bred at Worrolong by Steve Bartholomew and owned at Compton by Robert Chuck, will represent Murray Bridge in the $10,000 SA Country Cup final which will be run at Angle Park over 530 metres on Adelaide Cup night (Friday, October 10).
Trained at Finniss by Lauren Harris, Galactic Nemesis led all the way from box five in the second of two 530 metre heats when defeating Binnaway Warrior by two lengths in 30.01 seconds. She will join the Damien Smith trained Time To Fire in the final.
In May, the white and brindle daughter of Blue Moon Rising and Galactic Athena had won the $10,000 Cadillac Racing Autumn Classic (512 m) at Tara Raceway where she defeated Vixen Force by two lengths in 29.71 seconds.
Mount Gambier and Gawler clubs will run a maximum of two Country Cup heats on Sunday with the winners advancing to the Angle Park final. If only one heat is run, first and second placegetters will contest the Angle Park final.
Meanwhile, Portland trainer Robert Halliday’s return to the track on the back of significant health issues, heartened his many friends. Not only that, it was good to see him boxing his own dogs – two of them, Way Cool and High Cube, both finishing in second place after a fair break from the track.
And following on from the forthcoming SA Country Cup, in 2008 it was Halliday’s Tickets Please who represented Mount Gambier at Gawler where he defeated Classy Ace, trained at Booleroo Centre by Don Fiebig, in the final.
Bushfield owner-trainer Gary Lane was back among the winners at Tara Raceway last Sunday with an impressive One More Button who defeated Curdievale Rhode by 9¼ lengths in a smart 17.67 seconds in the Sealeys Springworks Stake (305 m).
And, according to Lane, the 28 kilogram white and brindle dog had come a fair way since his early trialling days at the track when handlers were flat out even getting the son of Fernando Bale and Dynamite Miss to walk around to the starting boxes.
Dynamite Miss, a winner of 10 races and $21,000 in prize money, is out of Dee Tee, a 16-race winner and a daughter of El Grand Senor and Mantra Miss who at one time was the 512 metre and 732 metre record holder at Tara Raceway.
Rochester trainer Darren Petersen was also back with his first winner since Cardi Go Easy in early March. This time it was Lochinvar Tiger who led all the way from box six for a 1¾ length win over Wario in the Metal Worx Stake (305 m) in 17.75 seconds.
A son of Superior Panama and Duchess Annetts, the brindle dog had won 11 races prior to Petersen taking over the dog as a giveaway in May.
Then, three races later, training partner Aroha Hemingway landed her second win with Sugar Bowl Rose, the daughter of Feral Franky and Little Tubbsy leading all the way in the Klaassens Contractors Stake (400 m) for a 2¾ length win over Roscoe Bale in 23.48 seconds.
All told, the rising four-year-old black bitch – with Hemingway since February this year – has now raced on 145 occasions for 15 wins.
Princetown owner-trainer April Janssen’s remarkable journey with Princetown Flyer and Swift Gift continues to go from strength to strength at Tara Raceway.
Princetown Flyer, a daughter of Tommy Shelby and Ivy Wren, took 15 months to win her first two races – a maiden and a maiden/one win.
But come this September and the black bitch hasn’t done too much wrong since a Warrnambool win over 450 metres at the beginning of the month.
Following were a Mount Gambier 512 metre win at the expense of Sweet Secret, a 512 metre fourth behind Greyhound of the Year leader Wind Whiskers and a terrific second over 600 metres behind Sweet Secret.
Swift Gift, a daughter of Aston Rupee and Mepunga Bella, brought up her third successive win at Tara Raceway for the month when defeating Way Cool in the Happy Birthday Chloe Stake (512 m).
The race had been run to celebrate the 37th birthday of Chloe Dibley at last Sunday’s meeting. With the Millicent-based family and friends well represented, Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club manager Tim Lewis reported the day had gone off extremely well.
And with a first and second placing for the day, young Louis Janssen, standing in for his mother, certainly handled his role with aplomb.
