By David Lewis
COMPTON-BASED greyhound Wild Banker won his second feature race this year when successful in Tuesday’s $10,000-to-the-winner Weblec Ace and Mepunga Blazer at Stud Murray Bridge Straight Track Cup over 350 metres.
Trained by Tracie Price, the son of American sire Need My Moneynow and 16-race winner Wild Marilyn figured in a terrific finish, defeating kennelmate Myall Mate by a head with a further head back to the Ron Schadow trained Victa Marli in a time of 19.57 seconds.
In January, Wild Banker also defeated Myall Mate in the $10,000 Summer Classic (512m) at Tara Raceway and a couple of months ago in the Group 3 Murray Bridge Cup (455m) he ran third behind Adhana Rico.
“This one’s for Terry,” said Price after Tuesday’s win.
He was referring to former NSW and Australian rugby league player and prominent greyhound owner Terry Hill who recently died at the age of 52.
Hill, along with good friend George Kairouz, raced Wild Banker and the pair had certainly been major players when it came to the breeding and owning of greyhounds.
So far, Price has now won 32 races with five members of the Need My Moneynow x Wild Marilyn litter.
By the time race eight, the Murray Bridge Straight Track Cup came around, he had already won two races with Myall Mate’s litter brothers – Myall Jack and Myall Ray, both recent additions to the kennel.
By Beast Unleashed out of Spot On Cinta, the trio is raced by Ray Gilmore and Judith Risk, long-time participants who are based at Kilmany in eastern Victoria.
As Price’s team continues to gather momentum, he is now looking at the Group 1 National Championships.
“The National Sprint and Distance Championships will be conducted in August at Angle Park this year and with both distances carrying prize money of more than $136,000, it’s certainly something worth striving for,” he said.
