For Tracie Price, who is currently Mount Gambier’s leading trainer, it was a case of having chalked up three winners after the first four races had been run at Tara Raceway on Thursday.
It all started in race two after Velocity Alibi kicked off a running treble for Price. At only her second start she led all the way in the Greg Martlew Autos Maiden Stake (400 metres) for a 1½ lengths win over Lightning Katie in 23.52 seconds.
The win continued the good run the leading trainer is enjoying with greyhounds emanating from Steve Williams’ Velocity Lodge – Velocity Alibi being by Jury out of Velocity Amica. Jury, who was also raced by Velocity Lodge, started on 38 occasions for 14 wins and $305,000 in stakemoney.
In the following race, the South Eastern Hotel 1-4 Wins Stake (400 m), another Velocity Lodge greyhound in the form of Ideas – a half-brother to Jury – held out Go Forward Gemma to win by 1¼ lengths in 23.45 seconds.
And in the Produce Store 1-4 Wins Stake (400 m) See Me Socks led all the way from box five when defeating Saint Coco by four lengths in 23.39 seconds.
By Over Limit, See Me Socks is out of Cee Me Burst who in 2015 defeated Houdini Spell in the Mount Gambier Winter Classic final (512 m) for Price.
The day wasn’t yet over for the Compton-based trainer, though. Later, Tandiki led all the way in the Bourne Kennels 5+ Wins Stake (600 m), running a personal best 35.08 seconds when defeating Joe’s Gold by three lengths.
Also bred by Price, Tandiki is by Peter Rocket out Headline, a middle-distance winner at Sandown Park, The Meadows and Ballarat. And on Thursday night at Murray Bridge, litter brother Burn Time qualified for the SA Distance Championship final (680 m).
A winner of 19 races and more than $80,000 in stakemoney, Burn Time found early trouble in the first heat before running home well to finish second to Springvale Anna. He has drawn box eight for Lisa and Keith Hellmuth of Pearcedale in the $11,460 final.
But back to Tara Raceway on Thursday afternoon and there was a major boilover looming in the Williams Crane Hire 1-4 Wins Stake (512 m).
This is the race in which the Price-owned Compton Brett, after being on the pace throughout, stormed home to defeat Cawbourne Reidy by three-quarters of a length in a personal best time of 30.06 seconds.
Winning races at big odds is nothing new for Compton Brett. Price also trained him back in January when he was a $34 chance and won the Sims Family Memorial Maiden (512 m).
By the time his next win came around – late last month at odds of $12 – Noel Perry of Mount Gambier had taken over the training of the black dog. Following was Thursday’s win at $71 – one of the longest-priced results recorded at the track.
Bred in WA, and reared by Price, Compton Brett is by Brett Lee out of My Nakia, a beautifully bred daughter of Spiral Nikita and West On Bluebird.
And it turned out to be a good week for the litter with Russia With Love winning at Devonport on the Tuesday and Yarrinup Flyer successful at Mandurah on Friday.
Speaking after Thursday’s win at Tara Raceway, Perry said he believed some extra starting box work with Compton Brett was starting to pay dividends.
“Initially it had been something of a struggle to get him into the boxes on race day,” he said. “So I decided to spend some time walking him through the starting box that is situated in the slipping track.
“It’s taken a while for the penny to drop but Thursday was certainly the best he’s been for me at the boxes.”
Another Price bred and reared winner was Compton Suzy, who led all the way in the Commercial Hotel 1-4 Wins Stake (512 m) when defeating Betty’s Entity by 6½ lengths in a smart time of 29.96 seconds.
Price had previously won two races at Tara Raceway with the daughter of Peter Rocket and Stylish Moment before moving her on in February to Callington trainer Wendy Sebastyan whose last winner at Tara Raceway had been in January with Thunder On.
Since then, Compton Suzy had raced without winning at Angle Park, Gawler and Murray Bridge. Her trainer’s decision to bring her back to race at the only track where she’s so far won was certainly a good move.
Incidentally, Stylish Moment is another Mount Gambier Winter Classic winner. She defeated Dr Danny in the inaugural event in 2014.