AFTER an unlucky third over 425 metres in fast time at Bendigo late last month, locally bred and owned greyhound Faster Bolt was quick to make amends when winning at Warragul last week before following up with another win at Horsham on Sunday afternoon.
This is the dog that ran 22.98 seconds – the fastest maiden 400 metre time ever run at Tara Raceway – when winning at only his second race start back in early October.
In fact, so dominant was the win that owners Steve Bartholomew jr., Ken Gillespie, Robert Chuck and Jack Peacock had no hesitation in approaching respected Camperdown trainer Steve Elsum to take over the white and fawn dog.
A quick 24.13 seconds at Bendigo preceded near best of day winning times of 22.72 sec. (400m) and 23.42 sec. (410m) at Warragul and Horsham with Elsum now likely to look at trying Faster Bolt over more ground.
Meanwhile, litter brother Galactic Panther, owned by Chuck and now trained at Worrolong by Steve Bartholomew sr., will resume at Tara Raceway on Sunday in the 400-metre Metal Worx Stake.
Whelped in January 2016, Galactic Panther, when also trained by Chuck, won two short-course races before performing well in September’s 512-metre Destini Fireball Winter Classic, a series in which he was giving away plenty in age and experience.
However, the black dog will be well served on the age scale by the time the 512-metre Peter Rocket Summer Classic, for dogs and bitches whelped on or after January 1, 2016, comes around in February.
Bred by Chuck at Moorak, Faster Bolt and Galactic Panther are by the Irish bred Milldean Panther out of Galactic Rumball (Cosmic Rumble x Elite Touch) who won three races at Tara Raceway in what was an injury-plagued career.
And in August, Galactic Rumball, a litter sister to another proven local producer in Azumi Touch, whelped a second litter – this time to Paddy Whacker, a Canadian bred, US raced greyhound with Australian, Irish, English and US bloodlines.
