As far as Compton-based greyhound Giant’s Flash is concerned plenty has happened since that Thursday afternoon back in January at Tara Raceway when the 36 kilogram son of Banjo Boy and Navada Flame lined up for his first run for trainer Tracie Price.
In hindsight, he looked well placed in a 1-4 wins time-graded race over 512 metres. And although his win by 14 lengths perhaps came as no real surprise, the race time – a track record 29.19 seconds –probably did.
By the time yesterday’s Exchange Printers Anniversary Cup final (512 m) came around, Giant’s Flash had won a further 15 races – 11 at his local track, including running a 600 metre 34.69 seconds record, and four at Angle Park.
But the Anniversary Cup, celebrating 43 years of greyhound racing in the south-east, was always going to be one of the toughest races the dual-distance record holder had taken on at Tara Raceway.
Not only did the final include this year’s Mount Gambier Cup winner Departure Gate, looking to join Ripin Ruby and Mojito Mayhem as one of only three greyhounds to have won both cups in the same year, but also promising type Captain Larry.
Even the usually upbeat Price admitted that he had been a little worried as to how the race would pan out. He breathed a sigh of relief, though, when box two runner Giant’s Flash charged out of the first turn in front.
It was then left to Captain Larry to do the chasing – and chase hard he did to get to within three lengths on the line. But with Giant’s Flash carving out the same time as on that record-breaking time-graded day he was never going to be run down.
For Price it was his third successive Anniversary Cup win – Spring Cuervo (29.77 sec.) winning in 2020 and Tandiki (29.75 sec.) last year in what was an incident-packed race.
Raced by the Garry Comans-managed Giant Crows Syndicate, Giant’s Flash is by Banjo Boy out of Navada Flame, a winner of only three races at the Gardens and Gosford. However, she boasts a strong pedigree with her grand-dam Navada Sunrise winning 22 races.
Price is now planning to run Giant’s Flash at Angle Park in the SA division of the National Sprint Championship over 530 metres.
“At this stage I’m looking to give him a trial at Angle Park on Saturday as a lead-in to the heats on Thursday, August 4,” he said. “Hopefully he can make it through to the SA final the following week.”
The $75,000 to the winner National Final will be conducted over 520 metres at Wentworth Park (NSW) on Saturday, August 27.
Meanwhile, Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club manager, Mark Dwyer, said the Anniversary Cup meeting was of a high standard and had attracted a good crowd.
“From a catering point of view, our food sales were solid while beverage sales were double what the club would normally take at a Sunday meeting. And on-track betting turnover was well and truly above average.”
