Saturday, July 18, 2020
“I should have had him in a heat of the Anniversary Cup,” lamented Meningie trainer Tim Richards after Jervois Boy led all the way in the Metal Worx Stake (512 metres) on Thursday at Tara Raceway, defeating Rooster by three lengths in a best of day time of 29.82 seconds.
And after the two Anniversary Cup heats (512 m), which included the best greyhounds currently racing at Tara Raceway, were won later in the day in times of 30.28 seconds and 30.25 seconds it was a case of Richards setting his sights even higher.
“Jervois Boy is really motoring at the moment, having won three races on the trot at Gawler and Angle Park last month. As he showed today, he handles Tara Raceway pretty well so I reckon next month’s Mount Gambier Cup could be a good fit for him,” Richards said.
Heats of the Bourne Kennels Mount Gambier Cup (512 m) will be run on Sunday, August 23 with the $14,275 final and supporting events conducted the following Sunday at Tara Raceway.
The win was the second leg of a running double for Richards, Jervois Boy’s litter brother Jervois Bruit leading all the way in the Progreyhoundtips.com Stake (400 m) to defeat litter sister and kennelmate Contrail by 4½ lengths in 23.07 seconds.
Bred by their trainer, the trio is by Fabregas out of the beautifully bred Spicy Peppa (Cosmic Rumble x Little Looper), a winner of 25 races and $35,000 in stakemoney.
“I picked up Spicy Peppa from Cameron (Butcher), who is also based at Meningie, and bred the litter on a pup deal. We both ended up with four pups which seemed to work out well for both of us considering she is a half-sister to Cameron’s former champion Worm Burner,” Richards said.
All told, the August 2017 litter has now won more than 50 races and also includes multiple winners Corbett, Eye Catcher, Almighty Stripe and Meek And Mild.
Another visiting trainer was Clint Trengove, making the long trip down from Lewiston and also rewarded with a long-price double after Stitch ‘Em Doc and Victa Jess were successful.
Stitch ‘Em Doc, a $13 chance in the Winmore Greyhound Kennels Maiden Stake (512 m), opened his winning account at start number three after quickly finding the front from box eight and then holding on to defeat Saint Caitlin by less than a length in 30.60 seconds.
The winner is one of three members of the Moreira x Venetian Mask litter purchased as pups by Trengove from Reynella breeder Wally Harkins, who in recent times has enjoyed tremendous success at Angle Park with Sir Truculent over the staying journey.
Victa Jess, a maiden 400 metres winner at Tara Raceway early in the month, was paying $51 for the win and $14 a place on fixed odds when stepping up to 600 metres in the Bartholomew Pick 6 Mixed Stake.
And in what turned out to be a messy sort of affair, only a nose and a neck separated Victa Jess, Errington and Stitch ‘Em Cilla on the line, the winning time of 36.37 seconds telling the story.