Wednesday, July 11, 2018
Glencoe greyhound Ramified continued to defy the odds when leading all the way in last Sunday’s Williams Crane Hire Mixed Stake (400 metres), easily defeating Banjo Queen and Blitz And Bolt in a quick 23.19 seconds.
The son of Magic Sprite and 13-race winner Hey Sexy Lady has now won three of his past five starts at Tara Raceway for owner-trainer Dean Fennell who at the beginning of the year was starting to wonder whether Ramified would in fact ever race again let alone add to his winning tally at the time of six.
“He injured himself early in the year and spent two months sidelined. Then, after one run back he was struck down with a mystery illness and I really thought that we were going to lose him,” he said.
“It turns out he had come down with a rare flesh-eating disease caused by a bacteria that naturally occurs on the skin of dogs, and can turn deadly.
“Fortunately, the disease was identified early enough by local veterinarians and after another three months sidelined he returned to racing, winning again at his fifth start back.”
Ramified will now line up in Sunday’s Trackside Meats Open Stake (400 m), attempting to string together three successive wins when he takes on a top field of short-coursers from box six.