By David Lewis
A WIN by Untapped in a heat of last Saturday night’s KCR Fireball (730 metres) at Victorian track The Meadows was the start of a top weekend for Dennington greyhound trainer Dustin Drew.
Taking the lead a lap out, Untapped brought up her 18th win and took her prize money earnings to more than $356,000 when eventually beating Jarick Bale by a length in 42.63 seconds.
The following afternoon Drew had Aston Marvel and Max Power engaged in heats of the Exchange Printers Anniversary Cup (512m) at Mount Gambier’s Tara Raceway.
Aston Marvel, a whopping 38 kilogram son of Aston Kimetto and Aston Lolita – and described by his trainer as the perfect pet – led all the way from box two in the first heat.
On the line he had 5½ lengths to spare over veteran chaser Nero Valentino in a time of 29.50 seconds.
Also, through to Sunday’s $8000 final from the first of two heats are Whiskey Chaser and Shameless.
“I think he really appreciated having had a run on the track the previous week when winning a grade five race over 512 metres,” Drew said.
“And he’s always hard to beat when he finds the front.
“Also, it’s been good coming over here with him and getting a few starts because he’s been very hard to place in Victoria.”
Max Power, winner of the 2022 Border Challenge at Tara Raceway, also clinched a spot in the final when running fourth in the second heat behind Aston Ziebell, Classic Moment and Artificial Blue.
“He’s been racing pretty well of late in Victoria and he didn’t have a lot of luck in his heat,” Drew said.
“And I reckon he’ll be better for the run when he tackles the final on Sunday.”
So Drew will hope for another top weekend when Untapped – one of the original Sandown Park Draft Dogs – tackles the Group 3 KCR Fireball final which carries $28,000 to the winner.
Also on the following day when Aston Marvel and Max Power contest the Anniversary Cup final – sponsored for the third successive year by Exchange Printers and commemorating the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club’s 44th year of racing.
Sentimental favourite for the cup will be Nero Valentino, the 4½-year-old son of Fernando Bale x Sweet Barbados lining up for his 93rd start on the back of four consecutive second placings for Edenhope trainer Kerry Hawker.
Tracie Price has the least-experienced runner in the final – Whiskey Chaser who has raced on 15 occasions for six wins.
The leading local trainer will be chasing his fourth consecutive Anniversary Cup success after wins with Spring Cuervo, Tandiki and Giant’s Flash.
Aston Ziebell, a finalist in this year’s Group 3 Mount Gambier Cup (512m) for trainer David Peckham, led all the way from box three when defeating Classic Moment by 1½ lengths in similar time to that of the first heat – 29.52 seconds.
By Aston Kimetto out of Aston Dinnigan, the black dog has won 21 races since joining Peckham’s kennels in June last year.
Perhaps this year the Allendale East-based trainer may emulate his father Allen, an Anniversary Cup winning trainer.
Classic Moment, who last won at Mount Gambier in December last year, ran a terrific race for Killarney owner-trainer Kevin Mugavin who has won Mount Gambier Cups with Poetic Magic and Rich Shiraz.
In November last year Aston Ziebell defeated Classic Moment in a heat of the Newman McDonnell Memorial prior to the tables being turned in the final.
Calum and Jaz Blake, the young husband and wife training team from Simson, have littermates Shameless and Artificial Blue – by Raw Ability x Dubovka – through to the Anniversary Cup final.
Meanwhile, Adelaide-based stayer Zipping Neutron, trained at Munno Para by Tim Aloisi, scored one of the biggest wins seen at Tara Raceway when the fawn dog defeated Mick’s Kimmy by 19 lengths in the Williams Crane Hire Stake (732m) in a time of 43.34 seconds.
By US sire SH Avatar out of Zipping Abby, Zipping Neutron went into the race on the back of five consecutive 730-metre wins at Angle Park.
This year the Eric Lewis Memorial has been programmed as a one-off 732-metre event for Anniversary Cup final day on Sunday.
First run in 2014 over 600 metres, the event was won by Zipping Basil, trained by Robert Britton.
The only time the memorial had previously been run over 732 metres was in 2019 when Portland trainer Nicole Stanley provided the trifecta with Candy Chimes, Ethics and Night Owl.
