The Border Challenge series between the Warrnambool and Mount Gambier greyhound racing clubs will this year be run locally at Tara Raceway over 512 metres on Sunday, June 27.
The inaugural Border Challenge, won by Warrnambool representative Lektra Fireball who was trained at Toolong by Phil Lenehan, was run at Warrnambool in December 2019. There was no challenge conducted in 2020 due to the border restrictions.
Both clubs will conduct heats to select their four finalists. Mount Gambier will conduct its heats, which will be subject to eligibility conditions, on Sunday, June 20.
Prizemoney for the Border Challenge will be $4000, $1250 and $550 with the winner also receiving a trophy and rug.
From a Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club point of view it has to be said that Greyhound Racing SA’s marketing department – Matt Watson, James Norris and Fiona Jarzabek – played a significant role in the success of the 41st running of the Mount Gambier Cup.
Several items to come out of a club discussion with the marketing department post-cup included the suggestion of an on-course race-caller in favour of a remote caller for the main meeting of the year. Another suggestion had been the standardisation of the dress code for the Mount Gambier Cup handlers.
And requiring attention, which no doubt will come with future facility upgrades, was the club’s outside speaker system. Also under review was the cup’s April scheduling, the question being asked whether it could revert to March.
There has been no Calcutta conducted on the Mount Gambier Cup since 2019. However, this year’s sponsor, the Commercial Hotel, has signified interest in hosting the Calcutta on next year’s cup at its venue prior to the running of the heats.
Awesome Value’s win in last Sunday’s Produce Store Feature Maiden (512 metres) saw the continuation of a successful line that goes back to the early 1980s and the foundation dam Val Matese for the Mugavin family of Killarney.
Matt Corby (GRSA CEO) and owner-trainer Kevin Mugavin pictured with Awesome Value after his win in the Produce Store Feature Maiden (512 m).
Kevin Mugavin has enjoyed his share of success at Mount Gambier Cup days – Poetic Magic winning the cup in 2006 and Rich Shiraz in 2012. Then in 2015 he won the Banjo Boy Feature 600 metres event with Cheap Currency, a son of Poetic Magic.
Awesome Value, an April 2019 son of Fernando Bale and nine-race winner Cloona Lass, had opened his winning account the previous week in a heat of the maiden feature when defeating Paradise Five by three-quarters of a length in 30.31 seconds.
But after Paradise Five drew box one in the final, the daughter of Worm Burner and Thanks Tubby was expected to turn the tables for trainer David Peckham who races her in partnership with Kevin Douglas, the cup day MC.
Perhaps surprisingly, the early leader was Saint Eilish, winner of the second heat in a considerably slower 30.98 seconds. But down the back it was Awesome Value who took up the running.
And from then on the black dog never looked to be in any real danger when holding out an improved Saint Eilish for a 3¾ lengths win in 30.32 seconds. Filling third spot, a further 2½ lengths back, was odds-on favourite Paradise Five.
As far as Mugavin was concerned it was a case of making amends for two years ago when Spring Value, later to go on to bigger and better things, finished second to Galactic Titan in the Produce Store Feature Maiden final.
With Almighty Stripe the fastest greyhound to ever race over 400 metres at Tara Raceway lining up from box six, the Formula 400 final had the makings of a terrific race. Disappointingly, though, Tim Richards’ 22.55 seconds record holder injured a left hind leg calf in running.
GRSA Director David Lewis, Peter Keane, Gary Thomson and Lindsay Brookes with Gotcha Laz, winner of the Formula 400.
But that’s taking nothing away from the eventual winner, Gotcha Laz who led all the way when defeating Bec Romyn’s Blue Tick Fern by 1¾ lengths with a further three lengths back to Garry Anders’ Ed Deeds in an equal personal best time of 22.88 seconds.
The brindle son of Fernando Bale x Sisco Sizzle has now raced at Tara Raceway over 400 metres on six occasions, resulting in five wins and a second for the good guys of greyhound racing – the Many Winners Syndicate and Koroit trainer Peter Keane.
Lindsay Brookes and Gary Thomson, two of the syndicate members who regularly enjoy a day at Tara Raceway with Keane, really soaked up the cup day atmosphere. Especially after Gotcha Laz’s litter brother, Me Silly, later in the day held out Don’t Forget Kev and Mick’s Kimmy in the Progreyhoundtips.com Stake (512 m) and gave Keane a training double.
Kath Matthias and Nick Wilson of Exchange Printers, along with staff and family members, join David Peckham and Sunset Milo for the Exchange Printers Mount Gambier Cup Consolation presentation.
The 2020 Mount Gambier Cup winner Sunset Milo, now trained by David Peckham for Tim Aloisi and Matt Lehman, led all the way last Sunday to win the Exchange Printers Mount Gambier Cup Consolation (512 m) in 29.85 seconds.
For Peckham, this was his second consecutive consolation win after Silent Jacko had been successful last year. However, still the cup eludes him.
Sunset Milo, a son of My Bro Fabio x Jewel Action, hung on to narrowly defeat the Steve Bartholomew trained Galactic Horizon, a litter sister to Galactic Athena who won the 2019 Mount Gambier Cup.
This was the second of two feature race successes for the day for the Allendale East trainer after Maximum Refusal scored a big win in the Allen Cram-sponsored The Tankman 600.
Raced in the same interests as Sunset Milo, Maximum Refusal made his Tara Raceway debut the week prior when running a handy fourth behind Renewed in a heat of the Mount Gambier Cup.
A winner over 545 metres (Ballarat), 600 metres (Angle Park) and 618 metres (Richmond), the brindle dog settled in a handy spot early from box one before taking up the running down the back straight.
From then on it was a matter of how far as Maximum Refusal powered away to a 7½ lengths win over Oakvale Impact with the heavily supported reserve runner Freda Rocks a further length back in third spot.
Allen Cram and David Peckham pictured with Tankman 600 winner Maximum Refusal.
The winner’s time was interesting. He ran 34.83 seconds which was only a half-length outside the 34.79 seconds track record established by Pirate’s Curse – also trained by Peckham for Aloisi and Lehman.
In fact, Maximum Refusal’s time was the fastest recorded over the middle-distance journey at Tara Raceway since Pirate’s Curse ran the record on April 21, 2019.
Cup day started well for Peckham after first-starter Bourne Brett led all the way to defeat another first-starter in Galactic Dreamer in the Bourne Kennels Stake (305 m).
Well boxed in the eight, Bourne Brett used plenty of the track when scoring by three lengths in 17.84 seconds. The win was the first for the Paddy Whacker x Raz’s Girl litter, the dam having won 12 races over 400 metres at Tara Raceway.
And the day also ended well when Aston Model finished too strongly for Aston Stella in the Metal Worx Stake (400 m), the daughter of Aston Dee Bee and Aston Regas scoring by 1¾ lengths in 23.37 seconds.
