On a day that had thrown up a $100 winner several races earlier at Tara Raceway last Sunday, there were certainly no surprises in the two Tankman heats over 512 metres when odds-on favourites Canya Striker and Huntsman were successful.
Mind you, keen judges – and some not so keen – probably would have had Canya Striker as an unlikely qualifier for the following week’s 600 metre final after he found himself labouring at the rear early in the race and still in a precarious spot turning for home.
But the son of Shima Shine x Joyful, owned at Millicent by Mark Dwyer and trained at Meningie by Tim Richards, sprouted wings in the home straight, finishing powerfully for a three-quarter length win over Artificial Blue in a best of day time of 30.25 seconds.
In the second heat of the Tankman it was the April Janssen owned and trained Swift Gift who led the way early before being joined by Huntsman down the back straight.
The pair then matched motors until the home turn where Huntsman took charge for Compton owner-trainer Robert Chuck and subsequently ran out a 1¾ length winner over the early leader in a time of 30.42 seconds.
The dual distance concept came about at Tara Raceway back in 2021 with the running of the Michelle Niele Memorial which that year was won by the Tracie Price trained Golly Gumdrops.
The following year the Jason Newman trained Departure Gate won the memorial and in 2023 Moonlight Kiss for Peter Franklin.
Last year the series became known as the Tankman Dual Distance after Allen and Kim Cram, providing tank cleaning, gutter cleaning and concrete tank linings in the South East of SA and Western Victoria, came on board.
And winning the 2024 Tankman Dual Distance was Captain Abbott’s Top Cadillac who defeated Hooked On Love.
This Sunday’s 600 metre final carries $3,500 in prize money and will serve as a lead-in to the following Sunday’s Group 3 Cadillac Racing Mount Gambier Cup heats (512 m).
Meanwhile, Millicent trained Paw Some Storm’s win in the Da’Leni Meats Open Stake (400 m) was her 30th for Dave Green and part-owner Jason Newman.
Chasing her first win this year, the daughter of Bernardo and Dusseldorp led all the way from box one and held out 31-race winner Coorong Cam to score by a neck in 23.19 seconds.
While the majority of her wins have been at Mount Gambier, Paw Some Storm has also won at Murray Bridge, Gawler and Warrnambool.