The Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club’s Anniversary Cup meeting, first run at Glenburnie in 1985, has always been one of the club’s better meetings of the year.
And the recent running of the 12-race 42nd anniversary meeting, highlighted by the $25,000 Federal Hotel Anniversary Cup final (512 metres), was certainly no exception.
The cup, won by Paw Winder, along with the John Reid Memorial (Canya Guru) and the Eric Lewis Memorial (Pinky Rocks), were the main races of the day. But the meeting was also complemented by a strong supporting program.
Training honours for the day went the way of Dennington-based Dustin Drew who landed a treble with Galba Stacey, Naughty Norm and Reiko Comet.
Galba Stacey was part of a recent swap with Lewiston-based trainer Nicole Price who had won 11 races with the daughter of Fernando Bale and My Name’s Stacey. In return she took the Drew-trained Aston Trust, a winner of five races at Warrnambool and Ballarat.
And the fawn bitch struck winning form for Drew at her second start for him in the Cadillac Racing Mixed Stake (305 m) when leading all the way for a two length win over Lie To Me in 17.31 seconds.
The Hannah Garner owned Naughty Norm, trained by Mark Johnson for his first two wins, brought up his 16th win for Drew when leading all the way in the Produce Store Mixed Stake (400 m) and defeating Todd Keeping by two lengths in 22.87 seconds.
He then landed his first win with Reiko Comet, raced by the Reiko Syndicate, in the Greyhoundtips.com.au Stake (400 m). Finishing strongly in the run home, she defeated Trackman Tim by a length in 23.15 seconds.
This was the end of another good day for Drew who 10 years ago had won the Group 1 Maturity Classic (525 m) at The Meadows with Kilty Express. And at last year’s corresponding Mount Gambier meeting, Drew’s sister Aimee had trained Gaping Margin, the winner of the Anniversary Cup.
Local trainer Kevin Patzel won his third race at Tara Raceway with former Adelaide chaser Ivory Pygmy, an $18 chance, who was always on the pace in the Trackside Pet Mets Pick 6 Stake (400 m). And in the run home the black bitch finished strongly to defeat Held For Ransom in 22.96 seconds.
Bred by the Dailly Greyhound Farms, Ivory Pygmy is by the Irish-bred Vulturi, a son of Westmead Hawk and Ballymac Penske, out of Lala Ivory who traces back to Group-winning stayer Shimaguni.
Attracting plenty of interest in the Icon Signs Stake (305 m) was Head For Home, owned at Horsham by Peter Carter and trained at Penola by Stuart Sharam. By Bernardo out of Reinforcements, the black dog is a litter brother to Poke Salad Annie, a winner of 11 races for the same connections.
Head For Home first hit Tara Raceway on a trial morning early in July and had the track watchers talking after running an unofficial track record over 305 metres of 17.15 seconds – pretty quick given the official record is 17.20 seconds.
Come race day and, price-wise, there wasn’t all that much separating Head For Home and Binnaway Pearl in the market. And while the pair matched motors early, it was the former who finished the stronger for a 2½ length win in 17.38 seconds.
While litter sister and brother Blue Moon Marie and Big Boy Jett performed well in the Eric Lewis Memorial for Koroit trainer Peter Keane when finishing second and fourth behind Pinky Rocks, it was litter brother Just Johnnie who broke a run of outs later in the day.
By Blue Moon Rising out of Galactic Athena, Just Johnnie had been chasing his first Tara Raceway win this year and his first win at the track and distance when contesting the Ontrack Insider Stake (512 m).
Settling in second spot behind Panipucci down the back straight, Just Johnnie ranged up on the home turn before finishing strongly for a 1¼ length win over the early leader in a personal best time of 29.83 seconds for Worrolong trainer Steve Bartholomew.
And keeping it in the family, at the following meeting last Thursday, it was Mary Lee – trained by Bartholomew’s wife Leehanne – who, despite using plenty of the track, defeated Appellant by a length in the Fast Forward TG1-4W final (400 m) and collected the $1065 first prize.