Saturday, December 14, 2019
It took a few runs, but Black Moscato finally found winning form at Tara Raceway’s time-graded meeting last Thursday when leading all the way in the Klaassens Contractors Maiden Stake (400 metres) to defeat Dancing Rose by three lengths in 23.73 seconds.
The win, which came at the November 2017 whelping’s ninth start, was also the first at the local track for Moorak owner Jason Newman whose last success at a greyhound track had come “some years ago” in Hobart.
And Newman was the first to admit after the race that Black Moscato, purchased from Victoria in October when still unraced, had been destined to be placed in the Greyhound Adoption Program (GAP).
“To be honest, we’d been looking at GAP because she just didn’t seem interested in racing, eight previous race starts resulting in only a couple of minor placings. She certainly looked a lot better today, though, when running a personal best so she’s probably warranted a reprieve,” he said.
By Blazin’ Bomber, a winner of 27 races and more than $250,000 in stakemoney, out of 13-race winner Punch It, Black Moscato was the first leg of an early double for Allendale East trainer David Peckham.
Sweet On Me, in his kennels since last month, was having her first start at Tara Raceway in the Gambier Vets Stake (400 m), the black bitch having raced only once previously at Sandown Park over 515 metres in September.
Well fancied from box one in last Thursday’s maiden event, Sweet On Me settled in third spot down the back before unwinding a strong finishing burst to score by 2¾ lengths over Sigrid The Proud in 23.54 seconds.
By Barcia Bale out of Call Me Gee, a winner of $53,000 and a finalist in the 2017 Group 1 Sapphire Crown final (515 m) at Sandown Park, Sweet On Me was also the first leg of a two-track double for the litter – Aston Stock winning his maiden at Warrnambool on Thursday night.
It was also a case of Peckham and Warrnambool owner Noel Mugavin combining for further success at Tara Raceway on the back of Rose Ali who won five races in the first three months of this year prior to being sold to Queensland connections.
Meanwhile, Sweet On Me, a January 2018 whelping, gives the impression that she’ll be better suited over more ground and should be well placed in February’s Summer Classic, a 512 metre event for dogs and bitches whelped on or after January 1, 2018.
Rose Ali ran second in this year’s Summer Classic final to Banjo Bad Boy after finishing third in a heat behind subsequent Mount Gambier Cup winner Galactic Athena.
Thursday regular Wade Green, of Rockbank, brought up his 36th winner at Tara Raceway this year when Fried White Bait overcame a slow start from box eight to storm home and grab Go Taylah in the shadows of the post for a nose win in the Swallow Drive Meats Stake (400 m) in 23.72 seconds.
Probably of most interest as far as Fried White Bait is concerned is his sire Bobniak, who was whelped 24 years ago but through the wonders of modern science sired this litter after Melos Girlfriend had been inseminated in April 2017.
Bobniak, by the imported Farloe Melody out of Paris Match, was the 1997 NSW Greyhound of the Year. All told, he raced on only 19 occasions for 16 wins prior to being retired to stud.