“One more race to go after this” was the name of race 12 at the Warrnambool meeting on Monday. That was simply to remind followers of greyhound racing at Warrnambool that there was still another race to come.

The 13-race bottom-up graded meeting attracted 137 nominations with Warrnambool one of the Victorian tracks able to accommodate more than the customary 12-race programs. In fact, some tracks will be running 14 races – subject to nominations.

And in Queensland, Racing Queensland is to experiment with fields of 10 at the straight track venue which will be part of a three-track $85m project currently being constructed.

It is envisaged that the 9 and 10 runners will utilise the standard reserve rugs during the experimental phase. Reserve rugs 11 and 12 will be designed if 10-dog fields become a regular fixture.

The 12 metre width straight track will be by far the widest straight track in Australia. Richmond and Capalaba straight tracks are eight metres wide while both Healesville and Murray Bridge are seven metres.

The Queensland straight’s catching pen width of 15 metres is more than double of any of other straight tracks. Two distances will be utilised at the track – 300 m and 350 m – but 10-dog races will be staged only over 350 metres at selected meetings.

Meanwhile, back at Mount Gambier’s Tara Raceway where 12 races are run and a maximum of eight greyhounds exit the boxes, Kevin “KD” Douglas has gone out of his way to make welcome the young people who attend the Thursday meetings with their carers.

“We have quite a few people who come out to the track on a Thursday afternoon with their carers so I thought it might be a good idea to add to their day with some form of activity,” he said.

“So a couple of weeks ago I came up with the idea that each week one of the group would try and select the winner of race four. If the greyhound won they would all receive a packet of chips. If unsuccessful it would be a chocolate bar.

“The first week it was chocolate bars all round but it was certainly a different story last week when Craig and his carer selected No. 8 in Race four – a greyhound going by the name of Cadillac Lloyd and trained by Kerry Hawker of Edenhope.

“Anyway, as it turned out, Cadillac Lloyd, despite running wide in the home straight, stormed home to defeat Wangler by three-quarters of a length in a time of 23.54 seconds. And you can just imagine the racket when he crossed the line in first place.”

The only downside to the day was that KD didn’t back the selection – an $18 chance. Now that sort of result would have bought him quite a few packets of chips.

It was back on March 10 this year that Tara Raceway’s meeting didn’t get past the first three maiden races due to the extreme heat conditions on that day. The only winners were Mooball, Rough Boy Gus and Huntsman.

Mooball continues to race well for her owner Ben Price and his father Tracie who trains the black bitch – now a winner of five races at Mount Gambier and Murray Bridge.

Lining up in last Thursday’s Commercial Hotel TG1-4W Stake (305 m), she quickly found the front from box four and led all the way for a 5½ length win over Time To Burn in a quick 17.50 seconds.

Mooball is by Barcia Bale out of My Little Mate, a winner of 29 races and close to $48,000 in prizemoney. Her last 13 starts were in 2018 over 400 metres at Richmond where she won 12 races in succession before finishing second at her final start.

And Moorak training team, Jason Newman and Mel Freitag’s littermates Hotfoot Lump and Hotfoot Swizzle were successful at the Thursday and Sunday meetings.

Hotfoot Lump, at start number 14, found the front turning for home in the Greg Martlew Autos Maiden Stake (305 m) before running out a 1½ length winner over Miss Majestic in 18.56 seconds.

Then, on Sunday, Hotfoot Swizzle also found the front turning for home in the Trackside Pet Meats Pick 6 Stake (400 m) and ran out a 1¼ length winner over Flying Madeline in 23.57 seconds.

The pair is by My Redeemer out of Skywise, a winner of 12 races in NSW and the ACT.