Tracie Price, of Compton, is yet to be headed in this year’s Ian Badger Leading Trainer Award. Mind you, it came pretty close after Tara Raceway’s time-graded meeting last week when he had only a point to spare over Allendale East trainer David Peckham.
But five winners at last Sunday’s Category 2 meeting – Golden Lester, Attuned, Way Out, Urana Meat Loaf and Compton Ruby – saw Price pick himself up off the canvas and shoot 19 points clear.
One of the highlights was Compton Ruby’s win in a handy Commercial Hotel 1-3 Wins final (512 metres). This came as something of a boil over after the daughter of My Redeemer x Headline ran down Midnight Blast in the straight to win by 1¼ lengths in 30.11 seconds.
The win was the second for the week for Headline, Mount Gambier’s leading dam this year, after Lisa Hellmuth’s Earthworm Jim had been successful at Warragul.
The most interesting of Price’s five winners was probably Urana Meat Loaf who, after being heavily supported, had been well beaten at his only two local starts.
Chasing his first win since success at Bathurst over 307 metres back in May, the son of Dalgetty x Zippy’s Me Mum never looked like being beaten when leading all the way from box seven in Todd’s Photographics Stake (400 m).
In Price’s kennels since the end of July, Urana Meat Loaf is raced by Ed Crowther. His son, Mr. Bet racing form analyst Reece, following the win related the story surrounding the black dog.
“There’s actually something like 50 people who take an interest in him. We’d been keen to buy him following a maiden win at Bulli over 400 metres last September but did have second thoughts after he lost a toe.
“Anyway, in the end we decided to take a punt, pushing on with the purchase, and paying $12,000 prior to him winning a couple of races at Bathurst.
“Then, in June, after a couple of second placings at Gunnedah, it was decided to send Urana Meat Loaf to race in Adelaide.
“But that was a short-lived exercise after being informed that the dog was ‘six lengths slower than the slowest maiden currently in the kennels’.
“So it was pleasing to see the dog fire up for Tracie on Sunday when winning by 7½ lengths in a tidy 23.39 seconds. It will now be interesting to see how he backs up at Tara Raceway on Thursday afternoon,” Crowther said.
Incidentally, last Sunday was Price’s biggest day at the track since October 1 last year when he had been successful with Revved Up Rocket, Wan Chai, Falcon Heavy, Black Spring and Elle Limes.