David Lewis
IT was back in April this year the wheels fell off distance racing at Tara Raceway.
It was then Moorak trainer Jason Newman opted to move on his local staying star Redshift Uniform to Western Australia.
By June, the daughter of Barcia Bale and Taylor Made Star was back at Moorak after failing to win a race at any of WA’s three tracks – Cannington, Mandurah and Northam.
“She had been sold to Tony Mallia of Southern River and we had kept in touch,” Newman said.
“When she failed to perform over there I suggested that he send her back on the off chance that we might be able to get her into a 732-metre race here.
“As it turned out, we got her into three staying races which resulted in two wins and a second as a lead-up to the Eric Lewis Memorial (732m) which was run last Sunday.”
Redshift Uniform, one of only two greyhounds to have broken the 43-second barrier at Tara Raceway, was never headed when eventually running out a 9¾ length winner over Sher Zany in a time of 43.81 seconds.
Tim Aloisi’s Zipping Neutron ran a track record 42.73 seconds when winning last year’s Eric Lewis Memorial while Redshift Uniform recorded 42.96 seconds on December 17 last year in the Dasher Distance Feature.
Former South East Greyhound Racing Club secretary Dale Lewis, who is also the son of Eric Lewis, made the presentation for the event last Sunday.
The traditional trophy of a collar, lead, kennel rug and race muzzle, which indicated Eric Lewis’ love of training greyhounds, was presented to the winning connections.
The collar and lead, hand-made by local leather worker Andrew Earl, was donated by Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club manager Mark Dwyer.
The following race marked the 20th running of the John Reid Memorial Maiden (512m), a race which remembered one of local greyhound racing’s great club men.
Local trainer David Peckham previously won the second Reid Memorial back in 2006 with Bourne Destiny and again in 2022 with Lochinvar Cahill.
This year he also looked to hold a strong hand in the final after littermates Bourne Franky and Bourne Model had performed well in the previous week’s heats.
Bourne Model – narrowly beaten by Saint Raine in a heat – never looked like losing when turning the tables for a three-length win with Bourne Franky a further head back in a smart 29.88 seconds.
By Feral Franky, Bourne Model and Bourne Franky are out of Sweet On Me, a winner of 21 races and winner of the 2020 Summer Classic at Tara Raceway.
With the winter equivalent coming up, next month’s 512-metre Cadillac Racing Winter Classic at the local track, Peckham’s September 2022 pair look to be well-placed in the age-restricted series which is for dogs and bitches whelped on or after July 1, 2022.
