David Lewis
COMPTON based Tracie Price emulated his best-ever day at the race track when training a record equalling six winners for the 12-race card at Mount Gambier’s Tara Raceway last Sunday.
Kicking off the day was four year old chaser Charley Davidson in the Masters event over 305 metres.
Following were Compton Fabio, Whole Way, Compton Casey, Minnie Banjo and Compton Ruby in the Rock’s Tavern Grade Five final (512m).
Once again, Shannon, a member of the Horsham based syndicate Matt Moose Bruza Shannon Dyllan, made the trip over to watch Charley Davidson line up for his 103rd race start in the Exchange Printers Stake.
The trip was once again worthwhile.
The son of Barcia Bale x Oriental Jewel led all the way to bring up his sixth consecutive win at Tara Raceway over the short course distance.
Only track record holder Nellie Noodles has run faster than Whole Way over the 732 metre journey at Tara Raceway.
The son of Spring Gun x Springvale Hope took the drop back to 512 metres in his stride in the Klaassens Contractors Stake.
Raced by Daniella Madalinski and Michael Ceravolo, Whole Way led all the way from box one, eventually running out an 8¾ length winner over Lily Pad in 29.62 seconds which was easily the best of the day.
Come the Greg Martlew Autos Open Stake (400 m) and Price had 512 metre track record holder Giant’s Flash’s litter sister Minnie Banjo also lining up for her sixth consecutive success after four local wins and one at Angle Park.
Raced by Garry Harding’s Giant Crows Syndicate, the daughter of Banjo Boy x Navada Flame soon found the front before running away to a four length win over Lily’s Lad in a best of day 22.69 seconds.
Price trained greyhounds ran the trifecta in the grade five final, Compton Ruby finding the front down the back and holding on to defeat a fast finishing Starlight Dusty and the early leader Right Way in a time of 29.85 seconds.
An unheard of seven winners looked a distinct possibility after odds on favourite Rhonda Lily found the front early before being run down by Jason Newman’s Locked who scored by 2¾ lengths in a quick 34.93 seconds in the Trackside Meats Mixed Stake (600m).
Price’s last record winning day of six winners had been on Sunday, September 20, 2015 when Roma’s Moment, Whatta Moment, Mellow And Black, Fear The Rascal, Pam’s Boy and Who’s Doing What had been successful.
The record for most wins at a Tara Raceway meeting is shared with Allendale East based David Peckham who was successful with Bourne Maximum, Call Me Billy, Fabs You Go, Squishy Pea, Dyna Carnie and Bourne Blackjack on Sunday, February 16, 2020.
It was a case of the previous week’s Razza Racing Feature Maiden heat winners Zambora Jay and Sugar Freak fighting out the second running of the Tony and Lisa Rasmussen sponsored 305 metre final last Sunday.
Zambora Jay, after displaying brilliant early pace in his heat, was always going to be hard to beat when drawing box one in the final.
That’s how it turned out, the fawn son of Orson Allen x Crazy Jo Jo opening up a handy break early over Sugar Freak before holding on to win by a length in 17.63 seconds.
Aston Olenna defeated Sianna Magic by two lengths in 17.49 seconds in the inaugural event last year.
The winner is trained at Koroit by Peter Byrne who said the offer of the dog in early January came completely out of the blue after owner Charlie Azzopardi had been looking for someone to take Zambora Jay.
“He’d been placed at his first three starts at Cranbourne, Geelong and Ballarat and I knew the Razza Racing event was coming up so I figured he might be worth a try,” he said.
“I did speak with the previous trainer, wondering why he had been looking to move the dog on so early in his career.
“He said ‘every morning I’d come out and somehow he would have escaped from his kennel and I’d find him out on the main road’.”
Byrne said so far he hadn’t found Zambora Jay roaming the streets of Koroit.
Tony Rasmussen was on track for the Razza Racing final.
Speaking at the presentation, he thanked the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club for the manner in which it conducts the race.
He also pledged his family’s continued support for the event.
Rasmussen, SA’s leading trainer, picked up a race of his own last Sunday when Express Speed led all the way in the Gambier Vets Stake (512m) to defeat Tapering Off by three lengths in 29.89 seconds.
