By David Lewis
CADILLAC Racing’s Captain Abbott and Kerry Hawker continued on their winning way at Tara Raceway on Thursday – the Edenhope couple sharing the spoils with two winners each at the time-graded meeting.
They have come a fair way since this year’s first meeting on January 1 when Abbott was successful with Cadillac Girl.
Collectively, the pair’s greyhounds have now won 11 races this month at the Mount Gambier track and a total of 69 for the year.
Abbott kicked off Thursday’s meeting with 17-month-old litter sisters Cadillac Queen and Cadillac Racer – both having only their second race starts when winning the 305-metre maiden races in times of 18.26 seconds and 18.22 seconds.
Also bred by their owner-trainer, the daughters of Irish sire Premier Fantasy and Pamela Rocks – her third litter – both led all the way for comfortable wins in the Progreyhoundtips.com Stake and the Greg Martlew Autos Stake.
Hawker’s winning double – Cadillac Lloyd and Cadillac Star – are also out of Pamela Rocks, but from her second litter which is by Fernando Bale and whelped in April 2021.
Cadillac Lloyd was always on the pace in the Hyland Fox TG1-4W Stake (400m) before taking the lead turning for home and running out a 1¾ length winner over Abbott’s Zambora Sam in 23.48 seconds.
Cadillac Star rounded up Abbott’s Cadillac Girl off the back in the Exchange Printers TG5+W Stake (400m) before running out a 2½ length winner in 23.42 seconds.
Pamela Rocks, a winner at Bendigo over 500 metres and 650 metres at Shepparton, is a daughter of Barcia Bale and three-race winner Punk Rock Lass.
She is also a half-sister to Rhonda Rocks, the dam of Group 1 winning Sennachie, who is now also a successful sire.
The four winners for Pamela Rocks last Thursday took her to the front on the local Leading Dams list with 20 wins for the year – two clear of Dusseldorp and Lots Of Yap.
Cadillac Racing’s connection with Pamela Rocks first came about a couple of years ago when they purchased two performed greyhounds – Gold Rocks and One Tonne – from her first litter by Matt’s Entity, a winner of 49 races.
“We liked the line so when she whelped her next litter we were able to purchase the whole litter from Bendigo breeder Scott McKenzie,” Abbott said.
“In fact, we liked the line so much that we also purchased Pamela Rocks.
“The Fernando Bale litter has so far won 23 races here and I’m still hopeful that we might be able to breed one more litter with Pamela Rocks.”
Meanwhile, Tim Richards, a regular Thursday visitor to Mount Gambier from Meningie with Tanya Bialek, also landed a double with Lady Kate and Wickham.
Owned by Cameron and Yvonne Butcher, Lady Kate led all the way when defeating Cadillac Burns by 4¾ lengths in a personal-best time of 23.40 seconds.
By Mepunga Blazer, she is out of Waterloo Kate, a daughter of the Butcher-owned Hope’s Up who won 39 races.
Wickham, a son of Aston Dee Bee and Purpose Driven, then finished over the top of Lektra Sammy for a three-quarter length win in the Cadillac Racing TG5+W Stake in 23.58 seconds.
Wrapping up another big day for Richards was Coorong Cam, another Butcher-owned greyhound, who led all the way in the Open Stake over 530 metres at Angle Park that night.
