A SMART win in the Allestree Holiday Units Mixed Stake (512 metres) on Sunday afternoon has Glenroy greyhound Solitary Lad looking well-placed to land a third feature race success at Tara Raceway this year.
A $3.10 favourite, Solitary Lad crossed the field from box eight, missing the first turn interference as he charged away to a commanding lead before running out a four length winner over Lektra Fire in 30.18 seconds.
The winner, a two-year-old son of Lonesome Cry x Up And Away, is owned at Yambuk by Ann Sinnott and trained by Richard Clayfield who said the brindle dog would now be set for the forthcoming Williams Crane Hire Christmas Cup (512m).
“His 16 race starts have all been at Tara Raceway so at some stage soon I’d like to try him on another track but with the Christmas Cup heats coming up on December 10 I think we’ll concentrate on that first,” Clayfield said.
The long-time trainer will chas back-to-back Christmas Cups after Glenville Jester defeated Old Jock and Abbey’s Hand in last year’s cup in a time of 30.05 seconds.
Tara Raceway’s most successful greyhound in 2016 with 13 wins, Glenville Jester’s effort was full of merit as the final also included Galactic Viper, Mojito Mayhem and Blitz And Bolt with the winning time second only to 2014 winner Who’s Doing What’s 29.77 seconds.
Solitary Lad, who did not start racing until early July, has already won the John Reid Memorial (512m) and the Destini Fireball Winter Classic (512m) feature events this year.
Sunday’s success followed on from the previous meeting a week prior when litter brother Lone Star, raced in the same interests , won the Trackside Meats Stake (512m).
Hail A Cab goes all the way at Tara Raceway
IT might not be quite like the heady days of 2015 when Ben Boers was winning the Mount Gambier Cup with Lots Of Yap but the Cashmore trainer was confident of success on Sunday in the Laser Electrical Maiden Stake (400m) with Hail A Cab.
And the black dog did not let him down when leading all the way to defeat Verev – having his first start on the track for Portland trainer Nicole Stanley – by three-quarters of a length in 23.83 seconds at the nice odds of $11.
By Do not Knocka Him out of Taxi Sono Qui, a city-winning bitch as was her dam Who Told Helen, Hail A Cab is raced by Geelong flooring contractor Damien Anderson who had contacted Boers in early September to see if he would be interested in training the dog.
“At the time Hail A Cab was still a maiden after 13 starts but mid-year he had made the semi-finals of a Vic-bred maiden series at Bendigo so I thought he might be worth having a go with,” Boers said.
The win came at his sixth start for Boers and helped to make up for the previous week’s time-graded meeting when kennelmate Indi’s Fancy went down by a half head to Pillar Creek over 400 metres.
Stanley, incidentally, came into Sunday’s meeting with 98 winners at the track and after reserve runner Miss Pineapple gained a start and was successful in the Trackside Meats Stake (400m) she looked a distinct possibility of becoming the first trainer to bring up 100 winners in a season.
But that was it for the day, with the leading trainer now looking a strong chance to land her century this week when meetings will be run on Friday and Sunday.
Surprise win for bargain purchase
EMILY As, the performed greyhound picked up by Cap Abbott for $200 back in September, brought up her third win for the Edenhope owner-trainer when scoring a surprise win in Sunday’s Produce Store Stake.
A $15 chance from box seven in a seemingly unsuitable 512 metre Grade 5 event, the daughter of Sure As x Darmilou is not noted for her early pace but after finding the front going out of the first turn she was never going to be beaten, eventually defeating Chilly Kiss by four-and-a-half lengths in 30.38 seconds.
The win, which came on the back of a well-beaten sixth at Angle Park over 731 metres six days earlier, followed on from success over 600 metres at Tara Raceway in October and a 536 metre Strathalbyn win five days later.
A couple of races earlier, Abbott had been successful in the South Eastern Hotel Mixed Stake (600m) with Mo Town Roy who chased Stylish Pursuit for much of the journey before finishing the stronger to win by three-quarters of a length in 36.01 seconds.
By Razldazl Jayfkay x New Year’s Punch, the versatile brindle dog has now won over 512 metres and 600 metres at Tara Raceway, 600 metres and 731 metres at Angle Park and 536 metres at Strathalbyn.
The double was the second for Abbott this year at the local track, Frankie Jakit and Lektra Dame successful at a time-graded meeting on July 14.
