Surprising as it may seem, Giant’s Flash, the dual track record holder over 512 metres and 600 metres at Mount Gambier’s Tara Raceway, was having his first run on a city track when he ventured to Angle Park on Monday night with Compton trainer Tracie Price.
The black son of Banjo Boy and Navada Flame was lining up for his 30th start on the back of three consecutive wins over 600 metres, 400 metres and 512 metres at Tara Raceway – his home track for all of this year.
Following a few issues with Giant’s Flash, Price had taken over his training on January 12 and had been quite happy to race him locally.
And fair enough. With eight wins, a second behind his kennelmate Whole Way in a Mount Gambier Cup heat and a couple of track records thrown in for good measure, it had been a productive start for the 35 kilogram dog.
But the time had come for Price to up the ante. First, though, Giant’s Flash would have to undertake the water bag trip to the other side of Adelaide – to Angle Park where the greyhound track has now been situated for 50 years.
For sure, there was no way Price would be racing his dog on a track that he hadn’t previously seen. It was a long way to go for a trial. Hopefully it would be worth it.
Giant’s Flash must have satisfied Price because he was back for the Giddy-Up Mixed Stake over 530 metres. And he had drawn well in box two.
And for the Monday night faithful, there were never any worries. The $2.10 favourite led all the way, eventually winning by 6¾ lengths in a quick 30.09 seconds – not all that far outside Aston Rupee’s 29.95 seconds track record.
On the Thursday prior, Moorak trainer Jason Newman had hit the highway to Adelaide with Departure Gate to contest a grade five stake over 530 metres.
But Angle Park’s main meeting of the week certainly held no fear for this son of Fernando Bale and Tarks Nemesis. Last month’s Group 3 Mount Gambier Cup winner simply went to town and got the job done.
Now the pair will be among eight greyhounds clashing in Sunday’s first round of the Michelle Niele Memorial Dual Distance Challenge over 512 metres at Tara Raceway.
The same field, but with a different box draw, will then contest the $3250 final over 600 metres at the following Sunday’s meeting.
It was in November 2019 that Michelle Niele, at 23 years of age, lost her battle with cystic fibrosis. Together with her father Michael, of Berringa, she had been a regular at Tara Raceway meetings for a number of years.
She was the 7-year-old kid who figured prominently in the 2003 Mount Gambier Cup presentation photograph with her father who had won the race with Monstropolis.
As such, the Niele family, along with the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club, had been keen to run an annual race in Michelle’s memory. The event was first run in 2021, when won by the Price trained Golly Gumdrops.
Meanwhile, away success continued for local trainers yesterday when David Peckham, of Allendale East, landed four winners at Murray Bridge’s straight track meeting.
No doubt the highlight of the day would have been the win of last year’s straight track champion Aston Olenna who returned to racing only recently after being on the sideline due to injury since the end of November.
Peckham’s other winners were Dundee Reactor, Bourne Brett and Denzell Bale.
And how about Tara Raceway regular Tony Harding’s win with Flatty Hunter at Murray Bridge? The daughter of Zambora Brockie x Lektra Viki brought up her third win for the Hamilton-based trainer when successful over 300 metres at odds of $101.