A THREE-length third placing behind Xtreme Carnage and Noosa Parade in Sunday’s 512-metre New Year’s Free For All at Tara Raceway was sufficient for Fiorelli Rose to clinch outright honours in the 2017 Mount Gambier Greyhound of the Year.
Coming into the final meeting of the season, Fiorelli Rose only needed a top-three finish to secure outright victory, while an unplaced effort would have afforded Baz’s Moment the opportunity of dead-heating for the GOTY – provided he could win the 400-metre New Year’s Free For All later in the day.
But, despite an outstanding year, Baz’s Moment failed to run a place behind Oh No Beta and for the second consecutive year greyhounds trained by Portland’s Nicole Stanley have won the GOTY, following Old Jock’s success in 2016.
So, after a record number of TAB meetings – 75 to be precise – were run at Tara Raceway in 2017, with close to 500 greyhounds accumulating points along the way, it came down to Fiorelli Rose with nine wins, 11 seconds and nine thirds for a total of 67 points.
These impressive results saw Fiorelli Rose defeat the Tracie Price trained Baz’s Moment (10 wins, six seconds, 10 thirds) by five points.
A third placing at Sunday’s meeting by Scorpion behind Oh No Beta saw him finish the year in third spot on 58 points for Steve and Lee Bartholomew.
The son of Superman and 2017 leading dam Which Class was the most successful dog at the track during the year, from a number of wins point of view, as he was successful on 11 occasions.
Stanley started 2017 off with five winners, ended it with a double on Sunday and in between trained another 104, which was enough to give her the leading trainer title over Price, who enjoyed another successful year with 94 winners including Return The Love, Same Scenario and Swift Limes who won the final three races of 2017.
Former leading trainer David Peckham finished in third spot, while other trainers to enjoy good years at Tara Raceway included Brian Weis, Captain Abbott, Dean Fennell, Barry Shepheard, Tom Cryer, Richard Clayfield and Peter Franklin.
Compton Greyhound trainer celebrates sprint trifecta
WITH four of the seven runners in last Wednesday’s 400-metre Gordon Refrigeration Stake, Compton trainer Tracie Price held a pretty strong hand in the Open class sprint.
And when Banjo Queen led her kennelmates Swift Limes, Baz’s Moment and Shannah’s Might down the back straight, Price’s first four looked a distinct possibility.
However, off the back Shannah’s Might – rated by Price as potentially one of the best dogs he has ever trained – lost some ground, but by then the trifecta had been well and truly stitched up.
Shannah’s Might, now a veteran chaser which has won six races this year, still had a bit to give and in the run home edged out fellow-veteran Galactic Viper – a winner of nine races during the year – to complete the first four for Price and pay a dividend of $932.20.
The first four is another first for Tara Raceway’s leading trainer of 2015 and 2016, an achievement to complement the Sunday afternoon back in September 2015 when Roma’s Moment, Whatta Moment, Mellow And Black, Fear The Rascal, Pam’s Boy and Who’s Doing What gave him a record six winners on the day.
The win was Banjo Queen’s first in three months, with the daughter of Banjo Boy x Black Traminer having now won seven races since being taken over mid-year by local owners John and Kerry Hawker.
Swift Limes, a son of this year’s leading local dam in Which Class, was having his first run in two months, but showed plenty of dash to hold on to second spot at the expense of his litter brother Baz’s Moment.
First win for litter
WHEN it comes to Koroit couple Carolyn and Gerald McKenna’s Nolen x Fawn Bay litter it is probably fair to say the pups threw to their mother.
A daughter of Tuiaki and the unraced Troublemaker Bay, the 22 kilogram Fawn Bay, also unraced, whelped the litter of six dogs and one bitch in December 2015.
At Tara Raceway’s meeting last Wednesday it was Mongolian Bay, at start number 14, who led all the way in the 400-metre Metal Worx Maiden Stake to defeat Chatterbox Laura by a length in 23.70 seconds and give the litter its first win.
Interestingly, the winner is a male greyhound with his official racing weight last week posted at 23.8 kilograms, which makes him one of the smallest dogs going around at the moment, or any other time for that matter.
In fact, Mongolian Bay would be smaller than the majority of bitches currently racing.
The McKennas, who also bred the litter, said while the pups never wanted for anything they were always small with Nolen Bay, who has had one run at Tara Raceway, the biggest at 27 kilograms.
“Ranger Bay is about 24.5 kilograms and Aristo Bay 22.5 kilograms while the only bitch in the litter, Empire Bay who is yet to race, weighs 21 kilograms,” Gerald McKenna said.
While Fawn Bay and Troublemaker Bay were unraced, dig deeper into the pedigree of Mongolian Bay and plenty of winning form can be found, not the least being that of Hall-Of-Famer National Lass.
