COMPTON greyhound trainer Tracie Price landed his third Winter Classic when promising youngster Smart Knocka was successful in Sunday’s Peter Rocket Winter Classic final over 512 metres at Tara Raceway.
The win followed success for the leading trainer in the inaugural classic with Stylish Moment in 2014 and with Cee Me Burst the following year.
Raced by Price in partnership with WA owners Andrew and Peter Haines, the September 2016 son of Knocka Norris and Who’s Doing What went into the age-restricted classic final with only three starts to his name.
The blue dog had impressed when winning on debut at Angle Park back in early June before injury saw him sidelined until last week when he cast aside any doubts about his fitness with a 30.10 seconds classic heat win.
A $1.50 favourite after drawing box one in the final, Smart Knocka, also bred by Price, was only fairly away, but quickly mustered pace to lead the way out of the first turn, Gotta Wobble Up and Azumi Ryder doing the chasing down the back.
He was never going to be beaten, though, eventually running out a 6½ length winner over the Lee Bartholomew trained Azumi Ryder in race record time of 29.85 seconds, the previous record credited to Stylish Moment at 30.27 seconds.
Running a gallant third, a further 2½ lengths back, was the winner’s kennelmate Cee Me Turbo, a son of the 2015 winner, while Scott Blacksell’s Gotta Wobble Up ran a personal best time of 30.49 seconds when finishing fourth.
And even light rain falling as Kevin “KD” Douglas got presentation proceedings under way failed to dampen the spirits of Price as he thanked the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club for its willingness to run age-restricted feature races in a bid to support local greyhound breeders.
Price also made a point of thanking his team for their help.
“I’m listed as the trainer, but the operation is a real team effort and I’m really grateful for their support,” he said.
He was also full of praise for Smart Knocka and the manner in which he has returned to racing, saying he would probably next race in Adelaide.
Winning connections received a service to Peter Rocket, sire of the 512 metre Tara Raceway record holder Rockoon, also trained by Price, who was engaged in the following race on Sunday.
Slowly away from box one in the Williams Crane Hire Mixed Stake over 512 metres, Rockoon was still last going into the back straight before turning in a huge effort to run down Hit The Runway and win by two lengths in 29.95 seconds.
The win was the culmination of a good few days for Rockoon, whose Group 1 Hume Cup win at The Meadows last year was awarded the Greyhound Clubs Australia Run of the Year at a function in Melbourne last Thursday night.
Successful on track
FORMER Tara Raceway 600 metre record holders Miss Jacovella and Striking Viking were back among the winners last Friday when Miss Jacky and Viking Storm were successful at the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club’s time-graded meeting.
Miss Jacky, a daughter of Pure Octane and Miss Jacovella, has been trained at Portland by Nifty Lenehan since early this month after previously having raced on 16 occasions over short-course distances on Victorian tracks.
Speaking after the race, Lenehan said he had been keen to step up the fawn bitch in distance, a 512 metre trial at Tara Raceway confirming his belief that the extra ground was not going to present too many problems at a time-graded meeting.
“She went around here on Tuesday morning in 30.30 seconds so I figured that would make her competitive in today’s race,” he said.
And that is the way the Produce Store Stake panned out, Miss Jacky – owned at Koroit by Mick Walsh – leading all the way and eventually defeating Stella Story by a length in 30.39 seconds.
“I was pleased with the run,” Lenehan said.
“Fair enough, she got a bit tired in the run home, but that was only her second time over the distance, so she should improve a bit on that.”
Miss Jacovella, when racing, a magnificent-looking 32 kilogram blue bitch, took Cheap Currency’s 600 metre record from 35.11 seconds down to 35.08 seconds on August 14, 2015 for Bushfield owner-trainer Gary Lane who also enjoyed plenty of success with her litter sister Dee Tee.
By El Grand Senor x Mantra Miss, Miss Jacovella raced on 38 occasions for six wins and 12 minor placings, holding the middle-distance record until the Peter Byrne trained Unsub Andy ran 35.04 seconds on March 11, 2016.
Viking Storm, a daughter of Barcia Bale and Striking Viking, led all the way in the 400-metre Williams Crane Hire Stake, scoring an emphatic win in 23.39 seconds for Allendale East trainer David Peckham and his long-time kennel clients Ross Schurgott and the Viking Syndicate.
By Superman out of Irish Fantasy, Striking Viking recorded 15 wins and 26 minor placings, her 600 metre time of 35.38 seconds run on November 30, 2014 being declared the inaugural record and one that stood until Cheap Currency’s run in March the following year.
And while the black bitch’s 83-start race record was more than handy, Striking Viking tended to live in the shadow of her litter sister, Thanks Tubby, who held the Tara Raceway 512 metre record at 29.60 seconds for three years.
Peckham ended the day with a double after former North Queensland greyhound Downtown Pixie led all the way from box four in the Greyhound-Data.com Stake over 400 metres, eventually running out a six length winner over Lektra Jenny in a best of day 23.19 seconds.
By Magic Sprite out of Paige Express, Downtown Pixie, now a winner of two short-course races at Tara Raceway, had won at Townsville and Cairns prior to joining Peckham’s kennels last month.
The litter also includes Faringdon, who will jump from box four in the final of the 498-metre Group 3 Angliss Meats Townsville Cup on Tuesday night after an unlucky second in a heat.
