Monday, May 21, 2018
Cape Bridgewater trainer Scott Blacksell, who started the year off in a blaze of glory when Mount Ghost won at Tara Raceway’s first two meetings, was back among the winners on Friday with Pinecutter Pete.
With his first four starts resulting in unplaced efforts, the black dog was a $23 chance when lining up from box four in the Klaassens Contractors Stake (512 m).
However, he looked anything but an outsider as he quickly found the front, never really looking like getting beaten when defeating Wok Djay by a length in a personal best time of 30.67 seconds and bringing up the first win for the litter.
Named after harvest operator Pete Leonard, Pinecutter Pete is nicely bred, being by Magic Sprite out of Miss Shirleen, a winner of three provincial Victorian races and a litter sister to former more-than-handy chasers Old Jock, Temalor and Bekim Vapour.
Whelped in September 2016, which makes him well placed for the forthcoming Winter Classic, especially if he keeps improving, Pinecutter Pete was also reared and educated by Blacksell.
Edenhope trainer Cap Abbott’s good year continued when he landed his third double, this time with giveaway greyhound Rugged and Blonde Barbados.
Rugged, in Abbott’s kennels for only a month, was only fairly away from box eight in the winningformula.net.au Maiden Stake (400 m) but somehow quickly found the rails and from then on was always travelling like a winner.
By High Earner x Miss Bel Air – a 15-race winner for $42,000 in prizemoney – Rugged’s first win came at his 14th start with all 10 of the litter having now been successful.
Miss Bel Air, who has also produced plenty of winners from three other litters, is beautifully bred, being by Brett Lee out of Casey’s Angel.
Blonde Barbados, out of the winner’s list since last September, brought up her third win for Abbott when leading all the way in the Williams Crane Hire Stake (400 m).
By Cosmic Rumble out of New Year’s Punch, a winner of $53,000 in prizemoney, the white and fawn bitch’s win continued her trainer’s successful run with the dam’s progeny – Mo Town Roy and Blazin’ Vicky (by Razldazl Jayfkay) both city winners.
Blonde Barbados is from a repeat mating, the first litter by Cosmic Rumble producing Bruce Tycoon, who raced on 130 occasions for 36 wins, 39 minor placings and more than $271,000 in prizemoney.
And Abbott’s winning run continued on into Sunday’s meeting when another recent giveaway in Dark Vader, a winner of 12 races and more than $24,000 in prizemoney, opened his Tara Raceway winning account.
Slowly away from box seven in the Gordon Refrigeration Stake (400 m), the son of Spring Gun x Allez Bijoux quickly ranged up to share the lead with Brinza, the pair matching strides until the home turn (Captain’s Corner) where Dark Vader pulled away to eventually win by 1½ lengths in 23.63 seconds.