One thing’s for sure, Rochester couple Darren Petersen and Aroha Hemingway certainly do not seem to mind clocking up the kilometres in their quest for a winner or two.
They were at Tara Raceway last week for the time-graded meeting and it was Hemingway, training greyhounds for only two years, who was successful with Good Girl Kiwi.
Lining up in the Commercial Hotel Maiden Stake (305 metres) from box seven, the daughter of Good Odds Harada and Jilliby Caz was chasing her first win from 13 starts when leading all the way for a four length win over Yanco Boy in 18.25 seconds.
Hemingway then landed an early double – her second at the track in a month – when American Boy led all the way in the Trackside Pet Meats Pick 6 TG1-4W Stake (400 m) and defeated Archer Three by three-quarters of a length in 23.63 seconds.
Good Girl Kiwi’s month included trips to Mount Gambier (twice), Murray Bridge, Shepparton and Horsham while American Boy raced at Geelong, Shepparton, Murray Bridge, Gawler and Mount Gambier.
And just to put the travelling in perspective, Rochester – 30km from Echuca – is close to 500km from Mount Gambier.
Actually, it was a day of doubles at last week’s meeting with Edenhope-based Captain Abbott, Doug Hammerstein (Ararat) and Jack Trengove (Two Wells) also training two winners each.
For Abbott it was his 13th double this year at Tara Raceway after Cadillac Burns led all the way in the Produce Store TG5+W Stake (400 m) for a 4 length win over Pace To Burn in 23.58 seconds.
Making it a running double for the Cadillac Racing team was Argyle Kinloch who also led throughout when defeating Marionvale Gal by five lengths in the Winning Post Supplies TG5+W Stake (400 m) in 23.26 seconds.
The Hammerstein trained Rev Querida also led all the way in the Carlin & Gazzard TG5+W Stake (512 m), proving too strong by four lengths for Cadillac Patch in 30.09 seconds.
Raced by Hammerstein’s son Paul, the winner is by Shima Shine out of JD Revelation and is from a litter that includes Sandown Park and The Meadows winner Rev Rose, a winner of more than $42,000 in prize money for Toolleen owner-trainer Daniel Pell.
Pell is also is the owner-trainer of Bun Storm, winner of last week’s SA Oaks (530m) at Angle Park. A daughter of Irish sire Droopys Sydney, she’s out of Gypsy Bun, a winner of $189,000 in prize money and a finalist in the 2021 Mount Gambier Cup when in the hands of Nifty Lenehan of Portland.
Hammerstein wrapped up the day with a win in the Williams Crane Hire TG1-4W Stake (400 m) with February 2023 youngster Is He Lucky who was always travelling like a winner when defeating Soda Nibbles by 5 lengths in a best of day 23.11 seconds.
The Hammerstein team purchased the well-bred sons of Beast Unleashed and Made Me Blind as pups with the youngsters having now both won two races.
The Two Wells-based Trengove kicked off his day with a win in the Icon Signs TG1-4W Stake (305 m) with She’s A Ladybird who never looked like losing when leading all the way and defeating Sophie’s Beast by nearly 4 lengths in 18.16 seconds.
And he also picked up the $1215 to the winner Federal Hotel Fast Forward TG1-4W final (512 m) with Conspired who took the lead down the back straight and went away to a 2 length win over Magic Tom in 30.15 seconds.
Purchased by Trengove after having won three races at Traralgon, Healesville and Warragul, Conspired has now won two races in SA, the black dog having previously won at Murray Bridge back in July.
He’s by Deliver, a winner of 22 races from 42 starts and the sire of four litters.
Meanwhile, a maximum of two heats of the 2024 $4000 SA Country Cup (512 m) will be run at this Sunday’s meeting as well as at Gawler. The Murray Bridge heats have already been conducted.
Each club will have two representatives in the $8500 final which will be run at Angle Park over 530 metres on Adelaide Cup final night on Friday, October 11.
