It’s now been eight years since Newcomb breeder-trainer Mick Vaughan mated Eily McMahon with English sire Westmead Osprey.
Eily McMahon, a dead-set stayer, raced on 80 occasions for 15 wins with her only litter producing Vaughan’s more than handy bitch Eily West who raced on 88 occasions for 16 wins and $50,000 in stakemoney.
Actually, her last win had been at Mount Gambier back in July 2018 when she defeated the Captain Abbott trained Blonde Barbados over 400 metres.
And for the first time in more than three years, Vaughan was back at Tara Raceway on Sunday, this time with That’s Life, Louie and Petula – members of Eily West’s February 2020 litter by My Redeemer.
That’s Life kicked off the day with a second placing behind Mrs. Cameron in the Greg Martlew Autos Maiden Stake (305 metres). But it was Louie who made the trip worthwhile when displaying plenty of early pace before finishing strongly to defeat odds-on favourite Correlate by two lengths in the Rocks Tavern Stake (400 m).
To date, this has been Eily West’s first and only mating with Vaughan doing pretty well with the resultant litter of five which he bred and reared in his Geelong suburbia backyard.
“It’s Only Money is certainly the pick of the litter,” he said. “From 12 starts he’s won seven races, including a heat of the Group 1 Silver Chief at The Meadows back in December. I’ve been involved with greyhounds for 45 years and I reckon potentially he’s my best.
“Another littermate in Town Rocker is also going pretty well, having won four races over 500 metres at Bendigo.”
Vaughan, 65, said he was now considering a second litter with the eight-year-old Eily West.