Thursday, April 18, 2019
Mumbannar trainer Monty Wilson will be hoping Bushman’s Mate can repeat his dashing 23.28 seconds win in Wednesday’s South Eastern Hotel Stake (400 m) when he lines up in the first heat of the Ivor Dowdell Memorial (400 m) at Tara Raceway on Sunday.
Two heats of the memorial, run in memory of Ivor Dowdell, who was still training greyhounds when well into nineties, will culminate with a final on Sunday, April 28.
Wilson, who won the inaugural memorial in 2017 with Lektra Excess, has drawn box two with Bushman’s Mate in a heat that also includes sub-23 second winner George Regis and Banjo Lass who has won over the distance in 23.05 seconds.
Springvale Alysa, a winner of 13 races and $16,000 in stakemoney, appears the one to beat in the second heat, with Cryer’s Jed and Bourne Blackjack looking to be two of the hardest to beat.
In what should be an entertaining Easter Sunday race meeting, the clash of Pirate’s Curse and Black Spring in the Easter Challenge (600 m) should make for an interesting race as should the Easter Gift (512 m) which sees both Lone Star and Big Casey well drawn.
And Galactic Titan, a best of day 512 metre winner last week, should be equal to the task of stepping up to grade five company when tackling the Trackside Meats Stake.