MERBEIN South greyhound breeder-owner-trainer Jamie Quinlivian, ostensibly in Mount Gambier last weekend to drop off some pups, picked up expenses when Bushiri led all the way to win the 400-metre Winmore Greyhound Kennels Stake at Tara Raceway on Sunday.
The trainer’s only runner for the day was having his first run at the track over 400 metres, after a couple of unplaced 512-metre runs in February and carved out a pretty handy 23.25 seconds when defeating Banjo Lass by 2¼ lengths.
A 37 kilogram son of Banjo Boy out of Quinlivian’s prolific producer Rustic Reeta – a winner at Tara Raceway in December 2012 – Bushiri is the January 2016 litter’s 29th winner, complementing a previous litter by Cape Hawke that has produced more than 100 winners.
The win was Bushiri’s fifth, all over the short course at Angle Park, Gawler, Horsham and now Mount Gambier, with Quinlivian recently advertising the white and black dog for sale, but ultimately retaining ownership after several offers fell short of the mark.
Rustic Reeta has since whelped a third litter of eight dogs and three bitches last November to Sulzanti, a winner of seven races from only 12 starts.
Among the pups making the seven-hour trip to Mount Gambier with Quinlivian were members of a 13-pup litter by Hostile – Collision x Restless Style – a winner of 13 races and $125,000 in prizemoney from 36 starts, out of five-race winner Sweet Savage, a daughter of Cape Hawke x Rustic Reeta.
The well-travelled trainer will hit the highway again early today for Horsham’s meeting with several runners, including Bushiri who has drawn box eight in a mixed stake over 410 metres.
Meanwhile, Noosa Parade broke a run of outs and gave Ecklin South trainer Peter Fulton a welcome change of luck when scoring an impressive win in The Border Watch Stake over 600 metres.
Noosa Parade, who went into what was a handy grade five field having been beaten at two attempts over the middle distance at Tara Raceway, quickly settled into second spot behind early leader Cilla Brown, taking over the running off the back and eventually scoring a comfortable win in a personal best 35.38 seconds.
It was the son of Collision x Miss Black Fern’s first win since November 12 at Tara Raceway, where the black dog had won a heat of the Newman McDonnell Memorial over 512 metres in a best of day 29.94 seconds, before running fourth in the final a week later behind Lektra Stomp in a race record 29.69 seconds.
Last month Noosa Parade had qualified for the Tankman 600 final on cup day, but Fulton had been unable to make the trip over after Ecklin South had been on bushfire alert.
Stayer off to city
BEKIM Lucy’s, a winner of her past three starts at Tara Raceway, including last Sunday’s Rock’s Retreat Mixed Stake over 732 metres, will take on the city stayers at tonight’s Angle Park meeting.
Her effort to run down Cryer’s Plugger in the home straight in a time of 44.08 seconds and bring up her first distance win in seven starts was enough to convince local owners Willie Vossen and Michael Robinson and Compton trainer Tracie Price the daughter of Bekim Bale x Lucy’s Moment warranted another chance at the city track.
Bekim Lucy’s has drawn box one in the Only At The Dogs Free For All over 731 metres, a five-dog field that carries $2940 to the winner.
Kennelmates Andrew’s Gift and Goldie’s Run will also make the trip along with Blanko, who opened her winning account at Tara Raceway last Sunday when leading all the way in the 512-metre Greyhound-Data.com Stake to defeat Boomer Hargen in 30.25 seconds.
Blanko is by Where’s Pedro out of Little Egyptian, also the dam of My Illusion – by Knocka Norris – who won four 512-metre races at Tara Raceway for Price in March-April 2013 – one of his wins being in 29.80 seconds and just outside Half Way Home’s track record at the time of 29.79 seconds.
This afternoon at Horsham, Richard Clayfield’s Glenroy trained Solitary Lad, last year’s John Reid Memorial and Winter Classic winner at Tara Raceway, will jump from box two in a grade five over 485 metres, while a couple of races later Portland trainer Brian Weis’s Mount Gambier Cup winner Xtreme Caution will contest a mixed 485 metres from box six.
And tomorrow at Strathalbyn’s Autumn Carnival, Ecclefechan, trained at Kongorong by John Little, will contest the final of the Commercial Hotel Cannonball over 319 metres after displaying plenty of early pace to finish second in his heat last week.
Little, who is Ecclefechan’s fifth trainer, will chas his biggest win on a greyhound track when the black dog jumps from box three in the $2890-to-the-winner final.
