Litter shows good form

IN GOOD TOUCH: Ken Gillespie and his grandchildren Rowan and Eddie pictured with Azumi Ryder, the second leg of a double for the Dyna Tron x Azumi Touch litter at Tara Raceway on Sunday.

THE Bartholomew-bred Dyna Tron x Azumi Touch litter kicked off the day well at Tara Raceway on Sunday when first starters Azumi Spirit and Dusty Pearl ran second and first in their respective heats and qualified for this Sunday’s John Reid Memorial Maiden final over 512 metres.

Then, later in the afternoon, litter sister Azumi Ryder, trained at Worrolong by Lee Bartholomew, led all the way in the 512-metre Rock’s Retreat Stake to defeat Bushman’s Mate by two-and-three-quarter lengths in a personal best 30.12 seconds.

Azumi Spirit, trained by Steve Bartholomew jnr. found the front going out of the first turn and, despite using plenty of the track, led until the home turn where Hill Top Hood took over the running, eventually winning by one-and-three-quarter lengths in 30.31 seconds.

The Steve Bartholomew trained Dusty Pearl, who lost a toe at three months of age after a paddock accident, led all the way, defeating Go Saints by one-and-three-quarter lengths in 30.55 seconds for owner Elysia Bartholomew.

And later in the day, Azumi Spice, from an earlier Azumi Touch litter by Cosmic Chief, worked home well for a one-and-three-quarter length second to Bereluke in the second heat of the Anniversary Cup over 512 metres and qualified for a spot in this Sunday’s final.

Further reports on Sunday’s Anniversary Cup day will feature in The Border Watch later this week.

Stella sizzles at Tara

AFTER a recent Tara Raceway satisfactory 400 metre trial of 23.15 seconds, Wise Stella was always going to be mighty hard to beat in last Friday’s Laser Electrical Maiden Stake – especially after drawing box one.

However, there was a something of a query surrounding her after she had fallen foul of stewards at Sandown Park back in November before eventually finding her way over to Tracie Price’s Compton kennels.

Price was hoping the finish-on-lure at Tara Raceway would help to turn her fortunes around, although, as much as he would have loved to have run Wise Stella in Sunday’s John Reid Memorial heats, he erred on the side of caution and opted for the time-graded meeting.

In the end, it turned out to be pretty tough for her time-graded opposition, the black bitch running out a 12-and-a-quarter length winner in 22.89 seconds, only a length outside Cryer’s Ricky’s February 2016 track record of 22.78 seconds.

Wise Stella is now the fastest maiden winner at the track, lowering Faster Bolt’s 22.98 seconds run in October 2017.

By Barcia Bale, Wise Stella is out of the top producer Wise Penny with the Brona Lane Racing Syndicate’s ride of a lifetime going back more than eight years ago to when a group of WA country guys got together with the intention of racing a greyhound.

Syndicate manager Justin Wright, of Lake Grace, takes up the story.

“I’d had greyhounds before but the other six syndicate members – from Lake Grace, Narrogin, Darkan, Collie and Wagin – were all newcomers to the sport,” he said.

“It was in late 2009 that we purchased a two-year-old bitch by Bombastic Shiraz out of Awesome Berger called Wise Penny from NSW after she had won a maiden at Gosford over 515 metres.

“We then brought her over to WA where she won eight races, all at Cannington over 530 metres and 642 metres.

“In September 2011 Wise Penny whelped to Cosmic Chief with Group 1 Rookie Rebel winner Cosmic Wise being the star performer, racing 100 times for 26 wins and earning more than $230,000 in stakemoney.

“It was then the boys started asking the question: ‘How long has this game been going on?’

“Two years later another litter followed, this time by Dyna Tron, all eight racing and winning. Wise Penny in February 2016 then whelped a third litter which, besides Wise Stella, also includes

Wise Ricciardo, a winner of five races at Sandown Park, Horsham and Geelong for stakemoney in excess of $21,000.

“Every pup – and there’s been 21 of them – from Wise Penny’s litters has reached the track with Wise Stella’s win on Friday now leaving only one pup from the last litter yet to win.

“I have to say her win at Tara Raceway was a terrific thrill for us after her disappointing start to racing. Hopefully she can now go on to bigger and better things for Tracie.”

Persistence pays off for Warrnambool trainer

PAUL Teuma, based over Warrnambool way at Winslow, has been making the trip to Mount Gambier for Tara Raceway’s time-graded meetings for a while now, although still chasing his first win at the track when Clyde’s Girl lined up from box eight in last Friday’s Metal Worx Maiden Stake over 400 metres.

But this was going to be the 71-year-old trainer’s day, Clyde’s Girl, the $21 rank outsider quickly working into second spot behind Don’s Noisey and then finishing too well in the home straight for a length win over first starter Azumi Twister who worked home well.

After the race, the affable Teuma told fellow trainers, probably marvelling at his resilience, that this had been his first winner in 10 years.

However, by the time he had returned with Clyde’s Girl for a presentation photograph, that winning time-frame had stretched to 15 years and even 20 years, depending on who you were speaking with.

Anyway, whatever the length of time between winners, it is fair to say the duration had been long, Teuma believing his last success would have been at Barmera’s now-defunct track where he enjoyed his fair share of success while based at Red Cliffs.

Involved in the sport “off and on” since he was 18, he picked up the nicely-bred 30 kilogram Clyde’s Girl as a giveaway after her first two race starts had resulted in unplaced runs at Young and Temora.

“I have six dogs in work at the moment and they’re all giveaways,” Teuma said.

“I took over Clyde’s Girl last October and while she is 3½ years old she’s still had only 10 starts due to seasonal issues.”

By Barcia Bale, Clyde’s Girl is out of Fantastic Rose who raced on only five occasions for a win at Goulburn but is well bred, being by Spiral Nikita x Light Fantastic – Fantastic Rose’s litter brother the city-winning Fantastic Sid who won $82,000 in stakemoney.

Fifteen minutes after Teuma’s first win at the track, he lined up with Fort Santiago who was having her first start at Tara Raceway in the Trackside Meats Stake over 400 metres on the back of well-beaten runs at Gosford, Nowra and Potts Park.

And for much of the race it appeared as though Teuma’s drought had well and truly broken as the SA-bred Fort Santiago (Barcia Bale x Bally Swift) bowled along in front before being beaten into second spot by Miss Premier.

All the same, though, Paul Teuma would have headed back to Winslow well-satisfied with his day and probably wondering why, only a couple of months ago, he had tried, albeit unsuccessfully, to offload all his greyhounds.