By David Lewis
IT was the Tracie Price trained Giant’s Flash who started it all.
He stepped out at Tara Raceway for the first time at a Thursday time-graded meeting on January 20 and promptly set about lowering the long-standing 512-metre record to 29.19 seconds.
Then, three days later, the Phil Lenehan owned and trained Lektra Gal became the third track record holder for the 305-metre distance – after Aston Olenna and Arctic Bear had run 17.49 seconds and 17.35 seconds respectively – when clocking 17.28 seconds.
Last Sunday, Minnie Banjo not only strung together her seventh consecutive win since joining Price’s Compton kennels in December but also broke Almighty Stripe’s 400-metre track record when running 22.42 seconds.
By Banjo Boy out of Navada Flame, she is a litter sister to Giant’s Flash and raced in the same interests – the Garry Comans-managed Giant Crows Syndicate.
The 400-metre Tara Raceway record has come down considerably since the Richard Clayfield trained Slipper’s Might became the first dog to break the 23-seconds barrier with a run of 22.93 seconds on March 28, 2014.
At the end of January 2015, Island’s Oyster (Peter Franklin) ran 22.83 seconds which was equalled 12 months later by Cryer’s Ricky (Tom Cryer).
A fortnight later Cryer’s Ricky lowered the record to 22.78 seconds, a time that stood for almost four years until Dyna Carnie (David Peckham) ran 22.74 seconds on January 5, 2020.
Then, on October 22, 2020, Almighty Stripe (Tim Richards) clocked 22.68 seconds before lowering that time to 22.55 seconds on April 4, 2021.
Meanwhile, the 2021 Ian Badger Leading Trainer award and the 2021 Greyhound of the Year award will be presented at Tara Raceway’s meeting on Sunday afternoon.
Named after the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club’s inaugural leading trainer of 1978, the leading trainer award has been won for the third consecutive year by David Peckham of Allendale East.
He finished the year at Tara Raceway with 148 wins, 107 seconds and 102 thirds for a total of 908 points.
The Greyhound of the Year was won by Edenhope-based Cap Abbott’s Another Pick, a white and blue daughter of Unlawful Entry and Proud Fantasy.
Another Pick won 12 races at Tara Raceway and accumulated 15 minor placings for a total of 72 points.
This is the second time in three years one of the long-time trainer’s greyhounds has won the award – Black Spring successful in 2019.
Another Pick has commenced 2022 in fine style, winning the Bartholomew Pick 6 Stake (400m) at last Sunday’s Category 2 meeting in 23.15 seconds.
