RESERVE greyhounds gaining a race start as a rule do not warrant a huge amount of consideration.
Unless, of course, the reserve happens to gain a run in a time-graded race.
That is when greyhounds are graded on a “worst to best” basis, meaning in theory the reserve runners are actually the best dogs in the race.
So when Special Case, the first emergency in last Friday’s 400-metre Metal Worx Maiden Stake, gained a start from box one, punters were quick to jump in and take the $2.80 on offer about a greyhound that had run one second from 12 starts.
According to Cashmore owner-trainer Lizzie Boers, Special Case’s race record could have been considerably better but for the fact she had a few issues with the starting boxes.
“I reckon that she’s gone up with the lids in at least half of her races,” Boers lamented.
That was certainly the case on Friday when the black bitch once again missed the start before railing through down the back to take the lead from Kynan’s Return and Bungaloo Thor.
Approaching the home turn, Special Case certainly looked to have the race in her keeping, but a strong home straight charge from Bungaloo Thor resulted in a desperately tight finish, so tight in fact the judge could not split the pair – the first
Tara Raceway winning dead-heat since Goldie’s Run and Maximum Bella on June 16.
Picked up by Boers as a giveaway last year prior to racing, Special Case is by Nolen out of the nicely-bred Lektra Special (Trewly Special x Elektra), a winner of seven races and $22,000 in prizemoney.
Raced by the Bungaloo Syndicate and trained at Kongorong by John Little, Bungaloo Thor went into the race with four unplaced runs to his name but was always on the pace and brought up the third win for the Addis Boy x Camo’s Prinny litter – Castiel’s Magic and Bungaloo Ruby previously being successful.
Little also bred the litter with Addis Boy, a son of Token Prince and with a damline that goes back to greats such as National Lass and Shy Julie, while Camo’s Prinny won the 2013 Anniversary Cup at Tara Raceway.
Meanwhile, Glencoe trainer Dean Fennell, who landed a double on May 5 and a treble on June 30, led in another double on Friday with Black Peer and Ramified.
Owned by Ray Keating, the four-year-old Black Peer had a great battle early in the 400-metre ClassicBet Stake with Kevin Ashton’s five-year-old Carrara Lad before holding out that greyhound and Monty Wilson’s Takayo Fury in a tight three-way go.
In Fennell’s kennels for the past two years, the son of Cape Hawke x Sick Money has now won six races – his last win being back on March 24 at Tara Raceway.
Fennell’s double came up in the last race – the 400-metre Gordon Refrigeration Stake – when Ramified led all the way from box one to defeat kennelmate Surfing Moment by two lengths in 23.37 seconds.
A son of Magic Sprite x Hey Sexy Lady, Ramified was an odds-on favourite on the strength of a recent impressive satisfactory trial which had been required by stewards after the black dog had cramped at the completion of a race at Tara Raceway on August 13.
And sharing training honours for the day with a double – his first at Tara Raceway this year – was Andy Graham who was successful with litter sisters Cee Sunrise and Cee Hannah Rose.
Cee Sunrise quickly crossed over from box six in the 400-metre Trackside Meats Stake to lead all the way, eventually running out a three-and-a-half length winner in 23.28 seconds over Ms Genius.
The Portland owner-trainer’s double came up in the 512-metre Klaassens Contractors Stake when Cee Hannah Rose chased Mr Perfect for much of the journey before finishing the stronger to win by a length in 30.70 seconds.
The sisters are by Cosmic Chief out of Cee Anna Rose – twice a winner at The Meadows – who has an eight-month-old litter by Magic Sprite to follow.
