WORROLONG greyhound trainer Steve Bartholomew still remembers Tara Topar’s win in the first Mount Gambier Cup at Glenburnie back in 1981, no doubt because he handled the dog for the winning trainer who just happened to be his mother-in-law, Joan Cruise.
And while he has never missed being in attendance at any of the 36 cups that have since followed, he is still yet to taste glory in his own right.
In fact, it would be another 12 years before he reached the final with a dog called Habit – a grandson of Tara Topar – who ran seventh behind Immortal Flash.
Bartholomew found his way into the 1996 final, the last run at Glenburnie, with Moorak Flyer, who ran fourth behind Colin Ian and again the following year at the Lake Terrace East venue with the same dog, which ran sixth to Ashanti Gem.
Also into the final in 1997 for him was Charles, a son of Knockash Chief and Habit’s litter sister Tara Pixie, while in 2001 So Gentle ran a two length third behind Explosive Doll in what was then a race record 30.24 seconds.
It then took another 16 Mount Gambier Cups before Bartholomew found himself in contention again, this time with Galactic Panther who will go into Sunday’s final as the youngest and least experienced of all the runners after qualifying with a second behind Paraphernalia last week.
Bred and owned at Moorak by Robert Chuck, Galactic Panther is by Milldean Panther out of Galactic Rumball, a bitch that Bartholomew bred.
“Galactic Rumball is by Cosmic Rumble out of Elite Touch and it was a litter that turned out to be more than handy, with other winners including Azumi Touch, Barnicle and Just Humphrey,” Bartholomew said.
“Azumi Touch has a couple of runners in supporting finals on Sunday, Just Humphrey won a Mount Gambier Greyhound of the Year, while I reckon Barnicle would have been our best dog ever had it not been for injury.”
Since taking over the training from Chuck in October, Bartholomew has won five races with Galactic Panther, the most significant being a stirring win over Dynamite Danger in last month’s Peter Rocket Summer Classic over 512 metres.
Four Summer Classics have now been run at Tara Raceway, with all the winners subsequently making their way through to the Mount Gambier Cup final the following month – Cryer’s Ricky, Menzel Boys and Hutch in previous years.
“I’m hoping he can buck the trend and become the first dog to win the Summer Classic-Mount Gambier Cup double,” Bartholomew said.
Galactic Panther is two-from-two from box eight, with his trainer more than happy he has drawn on the outside.
“I reckon he’s better boxed out wide and hopefully he’ll get a clear run to the first turn,” Bartholomew said.
“The thing I really like about him is that he just keeps on coming.
“Sunday’s field is pretty hot for a dog with his limited experience, but I know when he comes off the track after the race he will have given it his best shot.”
Packed purse shows cup growth
GREYHOUND racing in Mount Gambier has come a fair way since Tara Topar picked up $500 for connections after winning the inaugural Mount Gambier Cup, run over 479 metres at Glenburnie in 1981.
Sunday’s 38th Mount Gambier Cup, these days run over 512 metres, at Tara Raceway will be the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club’s first Group Listed race, and with total prize money of $22,000, the richest greyhound race ever conducted in Mount Gambier.
From a locally bred, owned and trained point of view there will be plenty of interest in Blazing Moment and Galactic Panther, in the hands of long-time participants Tracie Price and Steve Bartholomew – both still chasing their first Mount Gambier Cup success.
And then of course there is the great story surrounding Print The Money, trained at Avalon in Victoria by Michelle Mallia-Magri but bred and owned locally by Don Gordon, Ward and Diesel Leicester, Rohan Von Stanke and Dion Pannenburg under the banner of the Southern Bar Boys Syndicate.
The exuberant syndicate, desperate to win the home-town cup, had worked hard to convince Mallia-Magri to contest the event with Print The Money, runner-up in last December’s Group 1 Hobart Thousand.
Actually, husband John Magri, speaking after last Sunday’s outstanding heat win, said they had known little of the Mount Gambier Cup until reading on the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing website the owners had been keen for the dog to come to Mount Gambier for the cup.
Favourite for the cup, despite drawing box five, will be Lektra Stomp, a dog that had been threatening to break the Tara Raceway track record for a few weeks and finally did so in his cup heat with a run of 29.45 seconds.
Lektra Stomp is trained at Toolong by Phil Lenehan who had a finalist in the 2010 cup and will look to emulate the success of his father Brian in 1993 with Immortal Flash.
A nice touch would be to see Lenehan snr on track for Sunday’s Listed race.
Jeff Guy, the Horsham publican-turned greyhound trainer, returns for a second crack at the cup with Paraphernalia, a wonderfully durable greyhound that will line up for start number 99 on Sunday.
After a personal best 29.71 seconds heat win, maybe he is not a year too late.
Megellas Fairy is back for the final for Nambrok trainer Lyn Smith who took over the training of Fabregal after her Mount Gambier Cup win last year.
Smith has been training Megellas Fairy for several months for Traralgon owner Terri-Maree Morris, no stranger to big race success through the deeds of Jesaulenko, a winner of $400,000 in prizemoney.
Box one runner Xtreme Caution is drawn to run a bold race for the Portland-based Brian Weis who is the only trainer in the final’s line-up to have previously won a Mount Gambier Cup – with Drone in 2009.
And another Portland trainer, Nicole Stanley, who rolled the dice with last week’s $60 chance Verev, has found herself with a finalist for the second consecutive year following Berry Bling in 2017.
Prizemoney break down for Sunday’s cup is $15,000, $4000, $2000 with unplaced runners receiving $200.
The winner will also receive a service to the Group 1 winning champion Worm Burner, donated by Cameron and Yvonne Butcher.
With the grassed surrounds of Tara Raceway looking immaculate, excellent catering, TAB and bar facilities, a free pick 6 and children’s playground, along with some outstanding greyhounds racing for record prizemoney, the Mount Gambier Cup is certainly the best meeting of the year.
If you did not know there was even a greyhound track on Lake Terrace East, or if you only intend taking in one greyhound meeting this year, then Sunday’s 12-race program is the one to be at.
