Racing returned to normal last Sunday at the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club’s Tara Raceway meeting on Lake Terrace East.
This followed a week of extensive maintenance which is regularly undertaken on both the racing and slipping tracks. As a result there had been no trials on the Wednesday or a Thursday race meeting.
Tara Raceway track men Tim Manterfield and Mark Hall, together with Pete and Logan of GT Bobcat, had spent the week working on the tracks.
“We kicked off with the slipping track on the Monday,” Manterfield said. “Interestingly, we were the first SA club to introduce on-track training facilities by way of a slipping track back in 2013 for the benefit of local trainers.
“Also on Monday the race track was graded and then harrowed on Tuesday. For the remainder of the week it was then rolled and consolidated.”
Meanwhile, with no racing at Tara Raceway last Thursday, Hamilton-based trainer Kyle Goodwin – who races regularly at the local track – opted for a trip to the Murray Bridge straight track on the Wednesday with Costly Habits.
Goodwin had been chasing his first win at Murray Bridge since December 2024 with Lust To Burn. And Costly Habits finished strongly over the 350 metre journey when defeating odds on favourite Catching by a length in 19.85 seconds.
“I had always wanted to try him at Murray Bridge because I was of the opinion that he would race alright up the straight,” he said. “So with no racing last Thursday this had been the ideal opportunity.”
A give away greyhound after having raced twice at Shepparton and Warrnambool, Costly Habits has now won four races and run 16 minor placings from 39 starts.
“Actually, at one stage we also had been looking to give him away but given there had been no takers we carried on racing him. And he continues to pay his way,” Goodwin said.
By Hooked On Scotch, Costly Habits’ dam is Emerald Hill, who raced on only seven occasions for three wins over the middle-distance at The Meadows and Shepparton.
Emerald Hill is by US sire Superior Panama out of Sweet It is, a daughter of Mogambo and Off Springer and a winner of 23 races for close to a million dollars in prize money.
Meanwhile, at Tara Raceway’s Sunday afternoon meeting, long-time 2026 Mount Gambier Greyhound of the Year (GOTY) front-runner Gus Limes further increased his lead to six points over Kia Keeping.
Owned locally by Kevin Bouchier and trained at Mortlake by Peter Crawley, box one runner Gus Limes chased Huntsman throughout in the Williams Crane Hire Open Stake (305 m).
And on the line Huntsman had 2½ lengths to spare over the second-placed Gus Limes, a son of Aston Rupee and Elle Limes, in a time of 17.46 seconds. But the minor placing added valuable points to his tally and took his total to 88 points.
Not to be undone, though, Kia Keeping, a daughter of Fernando Bale and Ruby Keeping, bounced back with a vengeance later in the day for Kyle Goodwin and his mother Lorraine in the Ontrack Insider Mixed 4/5 Stake (512 m).
Chasing her first win since September 13 when defeating Blue Moon Marie over 732 metres at Tara Raceway, Kia Keeping led all the way last Sunday from box three.
On the line she had eight lengths to spare over Way Cool in 29.53 seconds. The 512 metre win also generated seven points and all of a sudden Kia Keeping found herself leading the Mount Gambier GOTY by one point.
But in race 10, the Collins Court Butcher Stake (305 m), Crawley and Bouchier bounced back with Gus Limes’ litter brother Ollie Limes who went into the race with two wins from 47 starts.
Always on the pace from box eight, the fawn dog found the front turning for home before running out a 1¼ length winner over Mocambora Jack in 17.93 seconds.
Training honours on the 11-race program last Sunday went the way of local trainers Kevin Patzel, Elysia Bartholomew and Tracie Price who each landed a double.
Patzel was successful with He’s A Tycoon and Slippery Gypsy while Bartholomew led in a litter double with Trackman Tim and Divine Poppy.
And Tracie Price took his number of winners this year at Tara Raceway to 171 after Huntsman and Rock It Roger impressed over 305 metres and 400 metres respectively.