Mount Gambier greyhound owner Michael Robinson’s pup-buying spree out at Tracie and Karen Price’s Compton kennels back in 2018 continues to pay dividends.
In fact, it was only on Sunday that litter sisters Perseverance and Vossy – by Dyna Double One out of four-race WA winner Miss Freelove – were successful at the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club’s opening meeting of 2021 at Tara Raceway.
And, in partnership with fellow Mount Gambier owner Willie Vossen, he also purchased two pups out of the Peter Rocket x Headline litter – later to race as Tandiki and Rocketline, the pair winning nine races and four races respectively at Tara Raceway during 2020.
Robinson boasts a long involvement in the sport. He owned his first greyhound in 1973; was a steward for 20 years and in 1995 was awarded life membership of the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club.
From a greyhound racing point of view last year was his best ever, highlighted by Perseverance’s 10 wins, eight seconds and four thirds which saw her take out the Mount Gambier Greyhound of the Year title.
After being reared at Compton, the April 2018 black bitch broke in with a fair report although at her first trial at Tara Raceway upon return she did turn in the boxes.
“But once coming out she did chase keenly so I was reasonably happy with the effort. It was then that Perseverance – named because of her tenacity and determination – found her way out to Glencoe to be trained by Dean (Fennell),” Robinson said.
Robinson and Fennell, the latter first training greyhounds when the Lake Terrace East venue opened in 1997, had previously been associated back in 2011 with Bar Talk and then later with Gentle Moment, winners of four races and seven races respectively.
But Perseverance took the association to new heights. She’s now won a total of 15 races and looking, it has to be said, something like the greyhound of old when storming home on Sunday to defeat recent Newman McDonnell winner Midnight Daisy by 1½ lengths in 30.05 seconds.
For Fennell, who finished third with 37 winners behind David Peckham and Price in the 2020 Ian Badger Leading Trainer award, the GOTY win of Perseverance was his second after Leeor Sam had been successful in 2010.
By Where’s Pedro x Jakaia, Leeor Sam all told won 19 races, 10 of those at Tara Raceway in his GOTY-winning year.
Perseverance will now line up in this Sunday’s Tara Trackstar No. 2, a one-off race over 512 metres for the best-performed greyhounds at the track last year between July and December.
The leading sire at Tara Raceway for 2020 was Fernando Bale who sired six winners on the 12-race December 31 program to end the year with 83 winners, 15 more than Barcia Bale.
Headline finished in front on the leading dams’ list with 26 wins, three clear of Lots Of Yap who did a fair job to finish so close given that the year as it was precluded her Nitro Burst litter for some months from racing at Tara Raceway.