Last Sunday’s meeting was affected by scratchings after the Blake family encountered trailer wheel problems on their way over to Mount Gambier.

Hardest hit was the first race, the Swallow Drive Meats Stake (732 metres), which ended up with only two runners – Mick’s Kimmy and Velocity Lotus.

And it was the Jason Newman trained Velocity Lotus who in the early stages of the race opened up a huge break over Peter Crawley’s Mick’s Kimmy.

Not that the five-year-old Mick’s Kimmy was ever going to win in running but she certainly did make a race of it when eventually finishing only 1½ lengths behind the winner in 44.10 seconds.

The distance races this year are playing a major part in the Mount Gambier Greyhound of the Year scoring with current leader Wind Burn Flash having accumulated most of her 50 points in staying events.

She leads the dour stayer Mick’s Kimmy by nine points while Velocity Lotus remains in the mix with 39 points.

One non-stayer also currently figuring in GOTY contention is rising five-year-old Nero Valentino who took his tally to 40 when picking up a couple of points after running second to Mary Bridget in the Klaassens Contractors Open Stake (400 m).

Meanwhile, Allendale East trainer David Peckham, fresh from Anniversary Cup success the previous week, had his most successful day at Tara Raceway this year when training four winners.

Maiden wins by Spring Gun x Daisy Maree littermates Sweet Lynette and Pat The Rat in the Ary Sports Bar & Bistro Stake (305 m) and Exchange Printers Stake (400 m) kicked off his day.

Zipping Jazz then scored an emphatic 6½ length win over Kilkenny Monelli in the Metal Worx Mixed Stake (600 m) prior to Federal Prince defeating Pursuit by 1½ lengths in 23.31 seconds in the Commercial Hotel Stake (400 m).