For Rick Boehm and Sandra Elmes, who train a team of 10 or so greyhounds at Painswick in Victoria, the first win for Puddin’ Cake at last Thursday’s time-graded meeting at Mount Gambier had really put the icing on the cake.

Bred and reared by the couple, the June 2022 whelped daughter of Aston Dee Bee and Avatar Minty had been having only her fourth start – all at Tara Raceway – last week in the Produce Store Maiden Stake (305 metres).

Leading all the way from box seven in the first race, the fawn bitch defeated a fast finishing Rough Boy Rocky by 1¾ lengths in 18.48 seconds with Puddin’ Cake’s litter sister Mock Orange a further 1½ lengths back in third spot.

And as Boehm tells it, this was a win that had followed an eight-month period on the sidelines following a leg injury after breaking-in and then another extended period due to seasonal issues.

Once again, on track with Boehm – who has been involved in greyhound racing for something like 18 years – was Tara Malcolm, who has been helping out the trainer for the past three months. Last week she had also been accompanied by her two boys Kobi and Knox.

“We live close-by to Rick and Sandra and I’d been looking for some work so one day I just called in to see if they had any jobs available. At the time I’d never been involved with greyhounds but they were prepared to give me a go and now I’m working three hours a day with them,” Malcolm said.

For Boehm and Elmes, two of their better dogs over the journey have been the city-winning Avatar Jet (Kinloch Brae x Darlin Bale) and Avatar Minty (KC And All x Sabroni Mint).

“A lot of the litters we breed, we keep half and sell half,” Boehm said. “In fact it was only last week that three we bred and sold had all won.”

Meanwhile, in the following race, the Carlin & Gazzard Maiden Stake (305 m), Killarney owner-trainer Kevin Mugavin fronted up from box eight with first starter Val’s Legacy.

Also bred by the trainer, the January 2024 whelping is by Equalizer (KC And All x Captivating), a winner of 26 races and more than $490,000 in prize money, out of Cloona Lass.

And Val’s Legacy, the only member of the four-bitch litter yet to be named, quickly found the front before running away to a 2½ length win over Frosty Ferris in 18.12 seconds.

Last Thursday’s winner was named after Val, the matriarch of the Mugavins – a family of greyhound people – who died peacefully in May at the age of 92.

Owner-trainer Scott Blacksell was hardly sighted at the track last year due to numerous stays in hospital which resulted in his greyhounds requiring to be farmed out.

But the good news is that the Big Fella has finally come good – to the extent that he even resurrected his long-sleeved white shirt and has taken to boxing his own greyhounds on race days.

Mocambora Mia, a daughter of Superior Panama and Sweet On Me and whelped on Christmas Day 2021, was purchased as a pup by her owner-trainer Blacksell who last Thursday had been chasing his first win as a trainer since November 12, 2023.

Actually, that month almost two years ago had turned out to be quite productive for Blacksell who won three races during November with Mocambora Izza and charity greyhound Mocambora Mia.

In last week’s Quickmix Concrete Group TG5+W Stake (400 m), Mocambora Mia finally managed to draw on her right side of the track in box two. And the brindle bitch never put a foot wrong when jumping straight to the front and leading all the way for her 10th win – this time in 23.76 seconds.

Nifty Lenehan, who picked up giveaway greyhound Lektra Hank from his younger brother Phil back in August, was among the winners in the Metal Worx TG1-4W Stake (400 m) with the son of Bernardo and Lektra Jena.

He settled in second spot before taking the lead into the home straight and running out a 1½ length winner over Classy Willow in 23.58 seconds. And litter sister Lektra Princess, trained at Toolong by Sharon Bradley, has now won at her past four starts at Bendigo, Horsham and Warrnambool.

Lektra Jena, a daughter of Fabregas and Lektra Bianca, won more than $34,000 in prize money and in her first litter, by Houdini Boy, produced 14-race winner Lektra Tony.