By David Lewis
BACK in Mount Gambier for a third time in a 30-year involvement in greyhound racing, Two Wells owner-trainer Chris Jaensch finally struck it lucky at last Sunday’s Tara Raceway meeting with Made Bail.
Lining up for his 10th race start, Made Bail found the front off the back in the Carlin and Gazzard Maiden Stake over 305 metres, before finishing strongly for a three-length win over Velocity Seize in 18.08 seconds.
Bred by Jaensch and whelped in September 2021, the black dog is one of 13 from the Spring Gun x Daisy Maree litter that also includes the locally owned and trained Rough Boy Gus, a maiden winner last month for Noel Perry.
Daisy Maree, a winner of two races at The Gardens and one at Gosford, is by Barcia Bale out of staying bitch Lochinvar Vogue who won 13 races and $92,000 in prize money.
Jaensch, who has been based at Two Wells for the past four years, previously resided at Wentworth, a border town in the far south-west of NSW.
“For a change, I enjoy making the occasional trip down to Mount Gambier,” he said.
“Actually, the first time I raced greyhounds in Mount Gambier had been when I was living at Wentworth.
“At one stage I was president of the Wentworth Greyhound Racing Club and I still have fond memories of when the club was racing there on the grassed straight track.
“The June long weekend fixture used to be a terrific meeting and well-supported by Victorian and South Australian participants.
“They were also attracted to the Wentworth Services Club and its poker machines – at the time illegal in in those two states.”
Jaensch rates two of his better greyhounds as Blister and Classical Cathy, the former by Fernando Bale x Kilkee Flex and a litter brother to Maximum Refusal – still racing and third in last Sunday’s Gambier Vets Mixed Stake (600m).
Classical Cathy, a daughter of Prince Of Tigers, won her maiden at her first start back in May 2002 at Barmera – another track that has since long closed – prior to going on and winning a further 10 races.
Meanwhile, from the archives has emerged a copy of the 1991 South East Greyhound Racing Club Coca-Cola Anniversary Cup race program – maybe fitting given that 44 years of racing will be celebrated next month.
Greyhound racing commenced in the South East in July 1979 but it was not until 1985 that the first Anniversary Cup – won by the Hazel Lane trained Kenzel Lad – was conducted at Glenburnie.
Kenzel Lad won the race again the following year, when trained by Connie Miller, who was then also successful in 1987 with Durafi.
In 1988, the Ross Richards trained Tuscany won the cup prior to Allen Peckham winning the next two with Itsa Mission and Mishka Star.
Portland owner-trainer David Emmerson’s Pop Brett won the 1991 Anniversary Cup (479m) in a time of 29.45 seconds over Foxtrot Oscar and National Ribbon.
Total prize money for the 1991 Coca-Cola Anniversary Cup was $260, a far cry from this year’s Exchange Printers Anniversary Cup (512m) which will carry record prize money of $8000.
What was of interest in this dusted-off program was the first race – the Fanta Open Maiden Stake over 479 metres – and the box one runner Canunda Princess.
Trained at Millicent by Frank Brennan, the daughter of Chariot Supreme and Select Princess was owned by the Somerset Syndicate which was managed by M. H. Dwyer – yes, the same M. H. Dwyer who now manages the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club.
Hopefully he is doing a better job in his current role than with Canunda Princess who was retired after eight starts and $10 in prize money.
Current-day Portland trainer Robert Halliday, who won consecutive Anniversary Cups in 2007 and 2008 with Bee Good and Tickets Please, may well hold a strong hand in this year’s event with Compton Robbie.
By Glen Gallon out of 2015 Mount Gambier Cup winner Lots Of Yap, the black dog led all the way from box one in the Gambier Vets Mixed Stake (600m) when defeating Hooked On Love by 3¼ lengths in a personal-best time of 35.03 seconds.
The win was the second of the day for the litter after Gallon Of Yap led all the way in the Metal Worx Stake (400m).
On the line she had two lengths to spare over Lektra Vera in 23.17 seconds for Compton trainer Tracie Price and owner Ben Boers who trained Lots Of Yap.
