FOUR weeks out and Toolong greyhound trainer Phil Lenehan’s Mount Gambier Cup prospects have been considerably boosted by the return to the kennels of the enigmatic Lektra Forrest and by the performance of his litter brother Lektra Stomp at Tara Raceway on Sunday afternoon.
By Walk Hard x Lektra Angie, Lektra Stomp, an odds-on favourite when narrowly beaten the previous week by Odd Boots at Tara Raceway, lined up from box eight in a smart Open field as a $3.30 chance behind a couple of other cup prospects in Zuma Creek and Hutch who shared favouritism at $3.10.
In direct contrast to last week, the white and black dog quickly found the front in the 512 metre event and was never ever going to be beaten, eventually running out a 7½ length winner over Odd Boots with a further three lengths back to Zuma Creek.
But it was the winning time that told the story – 29.57 seconds.
This is the third-fastest time ever recorded at the track, bettered only by the Jeff Guy trained Brazen Bomber’s then-record run of 29.55 seconds on June 11 and then Mojito Mayhem’s current record of 29.52 seconds recorded a week later for Peter Franklin.
The win completed a good weekend for Lenehan at Tara Raceway after Bluey Moran and Lektra Menzel had been successful at Friday’s time-graded meeting.
Lektra Forrest, a fair lump of a dog that tips the scales at around the 36 kilogram mark, has raced on 29 occasions on Victorian tracks for seven wins and $27,000 in prizemoney, running times at The Meadows, Sandown Park and Ballarat that would make him more than competitive at Tara Raceway.
Mortlake trainer Peter Crawley confirmed Zuma Creek, a son of Fabregas x Skye Creek, and a 29.66 seconds winner at Tara Raceway on Australia Day, was being set for the cup.
And Crawley could also have a strong second-string in the form of Bomber Creek, a younger half-brother (by Magic Sprite) to Zuma Creek – an impressive 29.97 seconds maiden winner on Australia Day and looking even better on Sunday in the 512-metre Williams Crane Hire Stake with a nine-and-a-quarter lengths win in 29.88 seconds.
Also on the cup trail is Blazing Moment, who wrapped up another big day for Compton trainer Tracie Price after Cindy La Moment, Baz’s Moment and Dynamite Danger had been successful earlier in the day and taken his winning tally for the year to 18.
Blazing Moment, a 37 kilogram son of Bekim Bale x Lucy’s Moment, is slowly but surely finding form again after major surgery forced him off the scene for much of the latter part of 2017.
A Darwin Cup finalist in early August last year, Blazing Moment was having his first run over 512 metres in close to six months in the first heat of Sunday’s Metal Worx Feature Grade 5.
And in a deceptive finish, the big black dog – in an effort that should top him off nicely for this Sunday’s final – was able to get the decision by a nose over the Jamie Quinlivian trained Bessie Belle in 30.05 seconds.
Perseverance finally pays off
KONGORONG trainer John Little opened his winning account for this year when Gee She Roks broke a frustrating run of outs to score a tidy win in the 600-metre Greyhound-Data.com Stake at Tara Raceway’s time-graded meeting on Friday.
A greyhound that generally uses her fair share of the track, she surprisingly took full advantage of box one in the 0-3 wins event, chasing Kinnky McPhee until the home turn where she railed through, eventually running out a two-and-a-quarter length winner in 35.92 seconds.
The win was Little’s first since October, although even then he had to be content with sharing the spoils after Bungaloo Thor dead-heated with Special Case in a maiden 400 metre event.
“Actually, my last outright wins came at a meeting back at the end of July when Bungaloo Lucy and Bungaloo Ruby won the first two maiden races at Tara Raceway over 400 metres and 512 metres respectively,” he recalled.
By Cape Hawke x Freestyle Lass, Gee She Roks’ last win had been almost 12 months ago, Little taking her over in July as a give away from Adelaide owner Ross Schurgott who, as it turns out, is a distant relative to Little.
And Schurgott also has a connection with Harken, who opened her Tara Raceway winning account in the 512-metre Trackside Meats Stake on Friday after previously winning at Maitland and Gosford.
In Allendale East trainer David Peckham’s kennels since early last month, Harken, a daughter of Swift Fancy x Montanus, also has a tie-up to Freestyle Lass, both tracing back to former champion dam Thai Again.
So for Little it was a case of perseverance finally paying off with Gee She Roks, although he is the first to admit that his patience had been wearing pretty thin.
“To be honest, I’d just about given up hope of her ever winning a race for me,” he said.
“In fact, it was only a week ago that I was offering her to anyone who wanted her as a give away.
“Fortunately there were no takers.”
