TONY Hinrichsen’s treble with San Tan Sam, Filthy Phantom and Focused Fury at Friday’s Tara Raceway time-graded meeting wrapped up a successful week on the track for the Monarto South greyhound trainer.
President of the Southern Greyhound Raceway at Strathalbyn, Hinrichsen’s winning run started last Sunday at Gawler after the recently-acquired San Tan Sam came from last early to score a big win over 531 metres.
And Breemelia Swift’s all the way boilover win at $31 in a heat of the Howard Ashton Classic at Angle Park on Wednesday afternoon took him a step closer to lining up with a finalist in Thursday week’s $37,500 feature for SA-bred greyhounds.
San Tan Sam, who had created a fair sort of impression with a smart 29.92 seconds win over 512 metres a month ago at the local track, returned on Friday to take on the 600-metre Greyhound-Data.com Mixed Stake.
The son of Collision and San Tan Maid – a daughter of the US-bred San Tan Scruffy – had previously raced on only one occasion over the middle-distance, unplaced at Angle Park last October, but he once again impressed at Tara Raceway with an all the way 10 length win in a smart 35.20 seconds.
Filthy Phantom, by Lochinvar Marlow x Ruby Swift and a litter brother to Breemelia Swift, had to work hard in the 512-metre Rock’s Retreat Stake after Crickey Creeky opened up a handy lead and still led the field into the home straight.
A winner last month on the grass at Port Augusta, Filthy Phantom dug deep in the finishing stages of the race to eventually defeat the early leader by three-quarters of a length in 30.47 seconds.
And Focused Fury – by Lochinvar Marlow out of Fighting Fury, a finalist in the 2011 Mount Gambier Cup won by Banger Harvey – led all the way in the 400-metre JB Irrigation Stake, giving Hinrichsen a treble on the day and matching previous efforts at Port Augusta and Strathalbyn.
Pete cuts rivals down to size
CAPE Bridgewater trainer Scott Blacksell, who started the year off in a blaze of glory when Mount Ghost won at Tara Raceway’s first two meetings, was back among the winners on Friday with Pinecutter Pete.
With his first four starts resulting in unplaced efforts, the black dog was a $23 chance when lining up from box four in the Klaassens Contractors Stake over 512 metres.
However, he looked anything but an outsider as he quickly found the front and never really looked like getting beaten when defeating Wok Djay by a length in a personal best time of 30.67 seconds, bringing up the first win for the litter.
Named after harvest operator Pete Leonard, Pinecutter Pete is nicely bred, being by Magic Sprite out of Miss Shirleen, a winner of three provincial Victorian races and a litter sister to former more-than-handy chasers Old Jock, Temalor and Bekim Vapour.
Whelped in September 2016, which makes him well placed for the forthcoming Winter Classic, especially if he keeps improving, Pinecutter Pete was also reared and educated by Blacksell.
Edenhope trainer Cap Abbott’s good year continued when he landed his third double, this time with giveaway greyhound Rugged and Blonde Barbados.
Rugged, in Abbott’s kennels for only a month, was only fairly away from box eight in the 400-metre winningformula.net.au Maiden Stake, but somehow quickly found the rails and from then on was always travelling like a winner.
By High Earner x Miss Bel Air – a 15-race winner for $42,000 in prizemoney – Rugged’s first win came at his 14th start with all 10 of the litter having now been successful.
Miss Bel Air, who has also produced plenty of winners from three other litters, is beautifully bred, being by Brett Lee out of Casey’s Angel.
Blonde Barbados, out of the winner’s list since last September, brought up her third win for Abbott when leading all the way in the Williams Crane Hire Stake over 400 metres.
By Cosmic Rumble out of New Year’s Punch, a winner of $53,000 in prizemoney, the white and fawn bitch’s win continued her trainer’s successful run with the dam’s progeny – Mo Town Roy and Blazin’ Vicky – by Razldazl Jayfkay – both city winners.
Blonde Barbados is from a repeat mating, the first litter by Cosmic Rumble producing Bruce Tycoon, who raced on 130 occasions for 36 wins, 39 minor placings and more than $271,000 in prizemoney.
And Abbott’s winning run continued on into Sunday’s meeting when another recent giveaway in Dark Vader, a winner of 12 races and more than $24,000 in prizemoney, opened his Tara Raceway winning account.
Slowly away from box seven in the 400-metre Gordon Refrigeration Stake, the son of Spring Gun x Allez Bijoux quickly ranged up to share the lead with Brinza, the pair matching strides until the home turn where Dark Vader pulled away to eventually win by one-and-a-half lengths in 23.63 seconds.
Greyhound racing is set to return to Tara Raceway on Thursday when a 10-race time-graded meeting has been programmed as a lead-up to the normal Sunday meeting.
