BIRTHDAYS were running hot in the Weis family at the weekend.
Young Zoe turned six on Saturday while her grandfather Brian, of Portland, was 51 on Sunday – and no doubt hoping to celebrate with another winner after Xtreme Caution had won at Warrnambool on Thursday night.
Big Rough, owned by Noel and Heather Perry, had been racing consistently and while he had not won in a couple of months did look to be one of Weis’s best chances at Sunday’s meeting.
And that has how the 512-metre Allestree Holiday Units Stake panned out with Big Rough quickly finding the front from box two before leading all the way to defeat kennelmate Spring Ripper by one-and-three-quarter lengths in 30.17 seconds.
The win was the black dog’s seventh at Tara Raceway this year and gave him the outright lead in the Greyhound of the Year award – well at least for 45 minutes until Baz’s Moment drew level after winning the 400-metre winningformula.net.au Stake for Baz Bruce and Tracie Price in a brilliant 23.13 seconds.
Weis, who is enjoying a good year at Tara Raceway, has trained 27 winners and currently sits in fourth spot on the Leading Trainers’ list behind Stanley, Price and David Peckham.
His involvement in greyhound racing goes back more than 20 years to when he purchased a brindle and white pup from Robert Duncan, also of Portland still actively involved in the sport.
“I purchased a pup by Iago out of Road Riot,” Weis recalled on Sunday.
“Originally he was called Tupance but it was later discovered there was a dog with the same name in New Zealand so he became Bart’s Riot.”
Bart’s Riot went on to race on 64 occasions, winning 14 races, including success at Sandown Park.
Weis has been hooked ever since.
Meanwhile, grandmother and granddaughter – Connie and Clarissa Miller – successfully combined at Tara Raceway’s Friday meeting with Chilly Kiss, who had been given to Adelaide-based
Clarissa by Weis after he had been looking to make room for some more Matt Morris-bred “Xtreme” youngsters.
Chilly Kiss, also bred at Wagga by Morris, went straight to the front from box four, leading all the way in the 512-metre winningformula.net.au Stake to bring up her first win since July.
And Connie Miller, currently recovering from a recent hip replacement operation, wrapped up a good weekend when Arolok Jax led all the way in the 400-metre Trackside Meats Stake on Sunday to defeat Sophie’s Moment and Same Scenario in 23.59 seconds.
Stanley hits major season milestone
LEADING greyhound trainer Nicole Stanley landed her 100th winner for 2017 when Rowchester Star scored a desperately close win in the 512-metre Williams Crane Hire Stake at Friday’s time-graded meeting at Tara Raceway.
For Stanley, of Portland, the win was her 95th at the local track with five other winners coming throughout the year at Warrnambool and Horsham.
Raced by the Phil Forsyth-managed Red Card Syndicate, Rowchester Star showed plenty of early pace from box six to take up the early running but looked to be in trouble when the Kevin Ashton trained pair Mr Perfect and Dream Edition applied the pressure off the back.
And in a terrific three-way clash in the home straight, the son of Nolen x African Wave was able to fight back, defeating Mr Perfect by a nose with Dream Edition a further nose back in third spot – thus depriving the Charlton-based Ashton an ideal 72nd birthday present.
In Stanley’s kennels for all of his 78 starts, Rowchester Star, better known as a short-courser, has now won 13 races with Friday’s win his first over 512 metres in more than 12 months.
Following Sunday’s meeting, Stanley edged closer to 100 winners this year at Tara Raceway when Hit The Runway put in a big effort to win the 512-metre Klaassens Contractors Stake and bring up win number 96.
Hit The Runway, a brilliant 600 metre winner last week, found himself well back early in the four-dog field before working home strongly to wear down tearaway leader Solitary Lad to win by one-and-a-half lengths in a best of day 30.11 seconds.
