David Lewis
THE Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club’s forthcoming annual South-East Hoteliers Day at Tara Raceway on Lake Terrace East will once again be highlighted by the running of the Licensed Victuallers Challenge (LVC).
Up for the challenge this year are the South Eastern Hotel, Tantanoola (Tiger) Hotel, Western Tavern, Dartmoor Hotel, Commercial Hotel, Federal Hotel, RSL Mount Gambier and the Pines Hotel Tarpeena.
The eight hotels will be represented at the race meeting on Sunday, November 27 and following the running of races carrying their names, hotel representatives will draw a box number in the LVC.
It is probably fair to say many people are unaware of the significance of the Licensed Victuallers and the association with greyhounds.
In July 1986 the Licensed Victuallers Coursing Club of SA conducted its final meeting – the 32-dog Licensed Victuallers Cup run over two days.
On that occasion it was conducted at Mintaro.
That, of course, was another time, a time when greyhound owners and trainers, bookmakers, punters, city and country people and, of course, an abundance of hoteliers would converge on one of SA’s coursing grounds to celebrate the Licensed Victuallers Cup.
Probably there is no better way of highlighting the local greyhound racing club’s South-East Hoteliers Day than with the main race being known as the Licensed Victuallers Challenge.
Peter Lamond, of Mount Gambier’s Commercial Hotel, has donated the LVC trophies for the winning hotel and trainer.
The Federal Hotel will be back again after collecting the LVC trophy last year thanks to Jason Newman’s Beatific.
The win was also Newman’s first trophy success after a relatively short time with the collar and lead. But that was only the beginning.
Several months later he won the richest race ever run at Tara Raceway – the 2022 $36,000 Group 3 Carlin & Gazzard MG Mount Gambier Cup (512 metres) with Departure Gate.
Like all greyhound meetings at Tara Raceway, the South-East Hoteliers Day is a real family affair – free entry, bar, canteen and TAB facilities trackside plus a kids’ playground.
Meanwhile, following on from the South-East Hoteliers Day will be the 2022 Christmas Cup, heats of which will be run on Sunday, December 11 with the final the following week.
The 512-metre Christmas Cup was first run in 2011 when won by the David Peckham trained Napoleon Wiz.
Allen Williams, of Tarpeena, won the event the following year with Lika Gem and the Allendale East-based Peckham again in 2013 with Bourne Again.
In 2014 Who’s Doing What won the Christmas Cup for Tracie Price of Compton.
He followed up again in 2015 with Fear The Rascal.
Then, in 2016, it was the Glenroy-based Glenville Jester who wrapped up a big year for Richard and Kevin Clayfield.
Hit The Runway, trained at Portland by Nicole Stanley, was successful in 2017 and Hutch, another Portland-based greyhound, won in 2018 for Robert Halliday.
Peckham brought up his third Christmas Cup win in 2019 with Squishy Pea and the following year Price his third with Golly Gumdrops.
Last year Kongorong trainer John Little landed his biggest win at Tara Raceway when Bungaloo Anne won the Christmas Cup.
Complementing this year’s Christmas Cup will be the Santa Sprint (400m), the Peter Whitehead Memorial Maiden (400m) and the Christmas Challenge for grade 5/6 greyhounds over 600 metres.
At Sunday’s meeting, which featured heats of the Newman McDonnell Memorial, the Tara Tipsters commenced a shortened series which will support next month’s Mount Gambier Community Christmas Day Lunch.
The Tipsters, who last week made a presentation to Quaran Care, have since added to their list of “greyhound racing experts” with their numbers now totalling 22.
