Saturday, August 10, 2019
Warrnambool hobby trainer Peter Rowan, involved in greyhound racing for more than 40 years on an “off and on” basis, reckons he’s always been happy to simply play around with a couple of giveaways and have a bit of fun.
Well, he’s certainly had a bit of fun at Tara Raceway’s past two time-graded meetings, Meet Half Way a big winner of the Fairthorne Forestry Stake (400 metres) last Thursday while Sanya Bay brought up her sixth win at the local track at the previous meeting.

Rowan took over Meet Half Way last September. He’s the black bitch’s seventh trainer, having won with her at Ballarat in December but still chasing his first win with her this year when she lined up from box seven in last Thursday’s grade six non penalty sprint.
And one could have been excused for thinking that the $14 chance Meet Half Way had actually joined in at the half-way mark judging by the manner in which she finished off the race, storming home to defeat the odds-on favourite Chucky Brown by six lengths in 23.69 seconds.
By Turanza Bale, the rising 4½-year old Meet Half Way is out of the well-bred Ritza Flare, a lightly-raced winner of four races at Dubbo and Richmond.
Speaking after the race, Rowan said he believed the six-dog races at Tara Raceway had worked in favour of his dog.
“Actually, she was sidelined earlier this year for three months with split webbing and by the time she returned to racing in July there were six-dog races in place at Tara Raceway which probably suit her because she likes room to move.”
Rowan, who lives in a built-up area of Warrnambool, said the main thing he looked for in a greyhound was that it was quiet.
“Sanya Bay was my first Tara Raceway winner 13 months ago but besides that she’s probably one of the best I’ve had in terms of temperament – she’s quiet, clean and causes no trouble whatsoever.”