The Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club’s long-running John Reid Memorial Maiden took a new direction at this year’s Anniversary Cup meeting.

First conducted in 2005, until this year the memorial had always been run over 512 metres. However, in recent years an apparent paucity of 512 metre maiden greyhounds resulted in the club struggling to frame heats and a final.

So after 18 previous Reid Memorials having been run over 512 metres, this year saw the event programmed as a 305 metre series and attract four heats at the July 16 meeting.

This resulted in an eight-dog final with leading local trainers Tracie Price and David Peckham both chasing further success in the time-honoured event with Compton Charlie and Lynette Ann.

My Pal Houston had been successful in 2015 for the Compton-based Price while Peckham, of Allendale East, won the memorial in 2006 with Bourne Destiny and again last year with Lochinvar Cahill.

But it was Cadillac Ragtop, the youngest runner in the race who virtually led all the way. She defeated Peter Crawley’s Velocity Georgia and Bob Wombwell’s Eskimo Roman by 4½ lengths and two lengths respectively in 17.71 seconds.

Bred at Edenhope by Captain Abbott, Cadillac Ragtop, a February 2022 daughter of Premier Fantasy and Pamela Rocks, is owned and trained by his partner, Kerry Hawker.

“I’m so thrilled to have won my first trophy race,” she said.

“And I still have fond memories of being associated with John (Reid) out at Glenburnie when I used to attend race meetings there with my uncle Alec Steele, the inaugural chairman of the South Eastern Greyhound Racing Club and later a life member – as was John.”

Speaking at the presentation, Reid’s son, Daryl, said the family was now looking forward to making the 20th running of the memorial “something special”.

As it turned out, there was a four-dog maiden 512 metre event on the program which was won in impressive fashion by Abbott’s Top Cadillac who defeated Decent Guy by 2¼ lengths in 30.20 seconds.

Abbott also achieved success back in 2012 when his 25-race winner White Arrow won the Anniversary Cup.