Wednesday, May 9, 2018
After a 2½-week break while a major track upgrade was undertaken, greyhound racing will resume at Tara Raceway on Sunday afternoon.
A trial session was conducted on Tuesday morning with track work supervisor Tim Manterfield reporting that the trials had gone off smoothly and participants had been more than happy with the track.
Highlighting Sunday’s 10-race program will be two heats of the Trackside Meats Feature Grade Five (512 metres), the top four in each heat advancing to Sunday week’s final.
The consistent Goldie’s Run, now being trained at Glencoe by Dean Fennell, looks one of the toughest to beat in the first heat while Nicole Stanley’s Big Lebowski appears well placed in heat two after a win at Sandown Park last Sunday.
A current dearth of fast-class sprinters at Tara Raceway has seen Glenroy trainer Richard Clayfield’s Solitary Lad graded into the Produce Store Mixed Stake (600 m) for his first attempt at the middle-distance.
A recent winner of two races at Horsham prior to finishing unplaced in last week’s Stan Lake Memorial at Warrnambool behind Raw Ability, the brindle dog is one of Tara Raceway’s better 512 metre performers.
However, with Mount Gambier Cup winner Xtreme Caution currently back in Wagga with owner Matt Morris, track record holder Lektra Stomp recently sold to Adelaide and Cup Consolation winner Hutch sidelined with injury, Solitary Lad has struggled to find a race over 512 metres.
Meanwhile, local greyhounds Springvale Alysa and Galactic Panther, trained by John Little and Steve Bartholomew, will clash in a grade six 515 metre event at Angle Park tomorrow night.
Springvale Alysa, a winner of her past three starts, and Galactic Panther, third in this year’s Mount Gambier Cup, look likely to face stiff opposition from the beautifully bred Abuzz (Fernando Bale x Hope’s Up), a winner of nine races from 16 starts.