TREBLES for Limestone Coast greyhound trainer Tracie Price at the past two Tara Raceway meetings have really kicked off his 2018 season in flying fashion – already nine winners at the first five meetings of the season.
And two of the winners at last Friday’s Australia Day fixture are greyhounds that had found their way to Price’s Compton kennels after copping marring and failing to chase infringements on interstate tracks.
The dogs in question are Hopalong and Dynamite Danger, the former having been given a lifeline from a racing point of view by Victorian owner Scott Brandon after the brindle dog had incurred the wrath of stewards in WA and NSW.
A son of Crash x Gimme Range, Hopalong has been in Price’s care since July last year, having now won four races at Tara Raceway, although none more impressively than the 400-metre Australia Day Open Stake.
Away quickly from box one, he led all the way, holding out Oh No Beta in the run to the line to win by a half-length and give last year’s leading trainer Nicole Stanley one of four seconds on the day.
It is not there was much wrong with Oh No Beta’s effort – his time of 23 seconds will win most 400-metre sprints around Tara Raceway.
But Hopalong became one of relatively few greyhounds to break the 23-second barrier at the track when clocking 22.96 seconds – the fastest since Colden Star ran 22.92 seconds last July.
Dynamite Danger, sent over to Price by Bushfield owner Adam Richardson after an indiscretion on the part of the son of Dyna Double One x Mepunga Jayelle at Warrnambool, had no trouble making the step up in grade in the 400-metre Trackside Meats Stake.
Young, inexperienced greyhounds often struggle at their first run out of a maiden, but Dynamite Danger, after overcoming some early interference, was much too good for the grade six field, finishing the race off in a manner which would suggest 512 metres will not cause him too many problems.
Price, who is looking at this month’s 512-metre Peter Rocket Summer Classic with the March 2016 whelping, will find out more on Sunday when the black dog faces his toughest test to date from box seven in the 512-metre grade five Williams Crane Hire Stake.
The first leg of Price’s treble came up in the 400-metre Metal Worx Maiden Stake when Schnelle led all the way at only his third start to defeat Sweet Emma by four lengths in 23.66 seconds.
The black dog, who should improve plenty on that run, is by Fabregas out of Price’s former smart bitch Who’s Doing What, likely to have a second litter, by Knocka Norris, on the track later this year.
Also at Tara Raceway for Friday’s Australia Day meeting were Karen and Tracie Price’s house guests, Australian Sprintcar star Max Johnston of NSW and Trevor Green of Adelaide, in Mount Gambier for a few days for the Australian Sprintcar title at the Borderline Speedway.
Green, still involved in the sport as a car owner, is now retired from driving but is one the most nationally-decorated Sprintcar drivers to come out of SA.
His cousin, Ashley Furner, a greyhound breeder-owner in Adelaide, bred Mojito Mayhem, winner of the 2016 Mount Gambier Cup.
Emily upstages rivals
EMILY As, a $200 purchase by Edenhope owner-trainer Cap Abbott last September after she had been out of the winner’s circle for close to 12 months, caused a major boilover at Tara Raceway last Friday when defeating a handy sort of field in the 600-metre Australia Day Open.
The now rising-four-year-old daughter of Sure As and Darmilou went into the race having won on three occasions since being taken over by Abbott, the last time back in November at Tara Raceway.
But a last start third at the track on January 12 behind Tuscan Flex in a time-graded middle-distance event saw her go to the boxes as the rank outsider at $41.
Not that Abbott was too concerned at the long odds.
“If she finds the front then she’ll win,” he declared.
“I do not care what her price is.”
How right he was.
Emily As was quickly away from box two and never headed, eventually holding Goldie’s Run out to win by one-and-three-quarter lengths in 35.73 seconds.
The win was Abbott’s third this year after a double the previous week with Chavasse and Shaniqua.
Meanwhile, Sunday’s 600 metre event, The Border Watch Queens Stake, has attracted a full field of more than handy grade five bitches.
The consistent Chilly Kiss has drawn box five and a repeat of her last start middle-distance effort when clocking 35.66 seconds would put the daughter of Spring Gun x Chilly Babe right in the mix for grandmother-granddaughter team Connie and Clarissa Miller.
