Hounds: Blazing Moment returns to where it all began

SUCCESSFUL RETURN: Blazing Moment made a successful return to racing at Tara Raceway last week for Karen and Tracie Price.

COMPTON greyhound Blazing Moment, off the track for the past four months, made a successful return to racing at Tara Raceway last week when winning the 400-metre Rock’s Retreat Stake for the Karen Price-managed Moment Syndicate.

Trained by her husband Tracie, Blazing Moment, hampered for room early from box three, took the lead approaching the home turn and was doing his best work in the straight as he careered away to a five length win.

This is the dog that created a huge impression – and had Price knocking back lucrative offers – after winning on debut over 400 metres by 10 lengths in 23.18 seconds at Tara Raceway in August last year.

By the end of 2016 the 37 kilogram son of Bekim Bale x Lucy’s Moment had been relocated to WA where he won over distances ranging from 405 metres to 600 metres at Mandurah and Cannington before tackling the 537-metre Group 3 Darwin Cup in July this year.

Blazing Moment qualified with a second in his heat before running a luckless sixth in the $35,000 final a week later. However, shortly after he required major surgery which was performed in WA prior to his returning home to Mount Gambier.

Last week’s win coincided with Tracie Price’s 54th birthday – and he couldn’t have hoped for a better way of celebrating the occasion.

“He came into the race with no trials, only free galloping, so it goes without saying that we were delighted with the effort,” Price said after leading in his 89th local winner for the year.

Blazing Moment will now jump from box three in today’s winningformula.net.au Stake at Tara Raceway and once again looks well placed in the grade five event.

Local syndicate in the money

PRINT The Money, owned locally by the Southern Bar Boys Syndicate, went within a head last Thursday night of collecting the $75,000 first prize in the 461-metre Group 1 Sky Racing Hobart Thousand.

Trained at Avalon in Victoria by Michelle Mallia-Magri, who won the 2012 Hobart Thousand with Blackall’s Boss, Print The Money stormed home to run a desperately close second to Rock Up Top and pick up a still sizeable $18,000 in prizemoney.

Syndicate members Don Gordon, Diesel and Ward Leicester, Rohan Von Stanke and Dion Pannenburg had been hoping Print The Money – the fastest of the heat winners – would have been the first SA-owned greyhound to win the Hobart Thousand since Erin’s Ace in 1949.

Bred by the syndicate, Print The Money, who has now raced on 36 occasions for 12 wins, 14 minor placings and more than $46,000 in prizemoney, is by Red Lesta, who won 22 races, and ran 34 minor placings for the Southern Bar Boys.

The Hobart Thousand is Australia’s longest-running greyhound classic, first conducted in 1935 over 410 yards and won by Elwick Boy.

Another impressive distance debut

FOR the second time this year members of the January 2015 Spring Gun x Cryer’s Midget litter have impressed on debut over the 732-metre journey at Tara Raceway for Tom and Margaret Cryer of Apsley.

First it was Cryer’s Plugger who was a dominant seven length distance winner in 44.03 seconds back on October 1 and then Cryer’s Bob in the Back To Distance Racing event at last week’s Christmas meeting.

Cryer’s Bob, out of the winner’s list for close to three months, took over the running a lap out, quickly dispelling any doubts surrounding his ability to run out the distance when ultimately defeating Emily As by 12¼ lengths in 44 seconds.

Later in the day, Cryer’s Plugger, now being trained in Victoria by Steve White, finished unplaced over 515 metres at Sandown Park. He will line up in box four at the same track tomorrow night over 595 metres.

Hot weather policy

TRAINERS are advised of a change in kennel house opening times at Tara Raceway on race days whenever the forecast temperature for Mount Gambier is 32 degrees or higher.

Greyhound Racing SA said last week that, subject to the local forecast, as from today’s meeting the kennel house would be open 30 minutes earlier.

In other words, with today’s temperature predicted to be higher than 32 degrees, kennelling of greyhounds will commence at 10.30am and not 11am, as would normally be the case for a meeting starting at 11.43am.