Saturday, June 9, 2018
Edenhope trainer Captain Abbott enjoyed his biggest day in more than 18 months at a greyhound track when Shaniqua, Blazin’ Vicky and Dark Vader provided him with a running treble at Thursday’s time-graded meeting at Tara Raceway.
And adding to the treble was the fact that in two of the legs he also provided the quinella after Blonde Barbados and Irka Jakit were both narrowly beaten into second position.
Abbott’s last treble was at Tara Raceway back in November 2016 when Irka Jakit, beaten a half head by Dark Vader last Thursday, won her maiden over 512 metres, Blazin’ Vicky a 512 metre grade five and Late One Night a grade five over 400 metres.
In Thursday’s Williams Crane Hire Stake (512 m), Shaniqua, a nicely-bred daughter of Bekim Bale x Swift Blaze, was only fairly away from box eight and copped a check going into the first turn.
But down the back she emerged from the pack, setting out after kennelmate Blonde Barbados, a younger half-sister to Blazin’ Vicky, and eventually grabbing her well into the home straight for a half length win in a personal best time of 30.35 seconds.
The win was Shaniqua’s second in the space of four days, the black bitch having previously been out of the winner’s list for five months.
Blazin’ Vicky, chasing her first win since October, was the outsider in the Gordon Refrigeration Stake (512 m). Only a handful of starts away from her century, the May 2014 daughter of Razldazl Jayfkay continued Abbott’s good day when leading all the way from box five, holding off Haddi Bale to win by 2½ lengths in 30.26 seconds.
And giveaway greyhound Dark Vader, after opening up a handy break down the back straight in the The Border Watch Stake (512 m), stitched up the treble when hanging on in a desperate finish to defeat kennelmate Irka Jakit in a best of day 30.03 seconds.
Dark Vader, a son of Spring Gun x Allez Bijoux, boasts a pretty handy record of 16 wins from 54 starts, four of those wins being for Abbott who only took over the ownership of the May 2014 dog early last month.
Moorak owner-trainer Robert Chuck landed his first training double on Thursday when Galactic Cougar won at his second start and Galactic Shiraz got back to something like the form she had displayed when winning her maiden last November.
After being handy throughout in the Metal Worx Maiden Stake (400 m), Galactic Cougar, a son of Milldean Panther x Galactic Rumball, railed through to take the lead turning for home, eventually running out a 5¼ length winner in 23.79 seconds.
A late starter to the track due to injury, the 2½-year-old Galactic Cougar is a litter brother to Faster Bolt, a quick 22.98 seconds 400 metre maiden winner on debut at Tara Raceway last November prior to being transferred to Victoria where he has since won another seven races.
Another member of the litter that performed well was Galactic Panther, winner of the 2018 Peter Rocket Winter Classic at Tara Raceway, third in the Group Listed Mount Gambier Cup and a finalist in the recent Group 3 Howard Ashton Classic at Angle Park.
Galactic Shiraz, having her fourth run back after a four-month break, rounded up the 400 metre South Eastern Hotel Stake field down the back before running out a 2½ length winner over Lektra Elsa in 23.32 seconds.
From the successful Swift Fancy x Which Class litter, Galactic Shiraz won on debut back in November when defeating smart Koroit greyhound Wilbur Deeds who has since gone on to win seven races and $28,000 in prizemoney.
Earlier in the day, Galactic Shiraz’s litter sister Which Moment brought up her third win of what has been an interrupted 13-start career, leading all the way for Compton trainer Tracie Price to win the Trackside Meats Stake (400 m) by 5½ lengths in 23.58 seconds.
The win was the first leg of a two-track double for Price who some hours later was successful at Angle Park with first-starter Smart Knocka, a son of Knocka Norris x Who’s Doing What, who looked pretty good when leading all the way over 515 metres.
And going back to the previous week, another trainer to get among the multiple winners for the first time in quite a while was Bob Wombwell of Coleraine – litter brothers Outlaw Dave and Outlaw Eddie successful in 400 metre events.
The double was Wombwell’s first since Anniversary Cup day at Tara Raceway on June 24, 2016 when Gold Rocker and Rocksferry Road were successful.
The “Outlaws” were bred by their owner-trainer, being by Spring Gun out of Coleraine Flame, who traces back to the mid-70s and Wombwell’s foundation brood bitch Silver Tarmel.
Wombwell is also now looking forward to putting a couple of 14-month-old pups by Barcia Bale out of Rose Of Tuscany through their paces.
A winner of six races – at Ballarat, Warrnambool, Grafton and Horsham – from only 13 starts, Rose Of Tuscany is owned at Tamworth by Ray Aslin who races the Wombwell-trained Red River Rufus, a speedy big red dog that has won nine races and run 33 minor placings in his 87-start career.