It’s fair to say there’s plenty happening at the Terang greyhound complex of husband and wife team Mark and Catherine Roberts. Such much so, in fact, these days Catherine rarely makes the trip over to Mount Gambier for race meetings at Tara Raceway.
But Mark was over last week for the Thursday time-graded meeting and duly landed a double with the Catherine-trained pair of Bluer Than Blue in the Da’Leni Meats Maiden Stake (305 metres) and Duke Caboom, winner of the Winning Post Supplies TG1-4W Stake (400 m).
By Tommy Shelby out of Shim’s Heart, first starter Bluer Than Blue was bred and is owned by Mark, who also trained the dam, a winner for him at Geelong and also on four occasions at Mount Gambier over 512 metres and 600 metres.
“Actually we did not have a lot to work with as far as this litter was concerned given that Shim’s Heart whelped only one blue dog,” Roberts said.
“But the result was better a second time around after she whelped seven dogs and one bitch by Good Odds Harada. They are now 12 months old.”
And last Thursday, Bluer Than Blue, a February 2023 whelping, did the job pretty well when overcoming a slow start from box five before quickly finding the front and running out a two length winner over Herman The Brute in 18.33 seconds.
Duke Caboom never looked like losing the final race when leading all the way from box two and eventually defeating Bob Deeds by 5½ lengths in 23.24 seconds.
By Aston Rupee out of Boom Foot, the win by Duke Caboom was his first since relocating to Terang at the end of July. The win also brought up the trainer’s first Tara Raceway double since August 2022 when she had been successful with Concrete Comedy and Nyssa’s Girl.
Also keeping it in the family were Warrnambool-based Rob and Linda Gore who scored a tidy win with Moonlight Comet in the Trackside Pet Meats Pick 6 TG1-4W Stake (400 m).
Owned by Linda and trained by her husband Rob – also the Warrnambool Greyhound Racing Club president – Moonlight Comet led all the way from box four, running out a five length winner over Ernie Deeds in 23.53 seconds.
Moonlight Comet is by Flying Ricciardo out of Mossy Girl, a five-race Victorian winner and a litter sister to $100,000 winner Kinloch Moss.
Mossy Girl’s previous litter, by Cosmic Rumble, includes local stayer Send It Blue who late last year and early in 2024 strung together five consecutive wins at Angle Park and Mount Gambier.
Artificial Blue, raced by another husband and wife team in Calum and Jazmyn Blake from Simson in Victoria, brought up his first Tara Raceway win this year when successful in the Klaassens Contractors TG5+W Stake (512 m).
Boasting a pretty handy overall race record at the local track, the 80-start son of Raw Ability and Dubovka settled in second spot before finding the front turning for home and running out a 1½ length winner over Anna Rhode in 30.12 seconds.
Purdeet owner-trainer Annette Kampman, over with husband Colin, was back among the winners at Tara Raceway after veteran chaser Myola Sunrise led all the way in the Cadillac Racing TG5+W Stake (400 m) and defeated Chief Pow Wow by 1½ lengths in 23.47 seconds.
The win was Kampman’s first at Tara Raceway since early June when Myola Thalia had been successful. It was also Myola Sunrise’s first win in 12 months and her first at the local track since November 2022.
By Black Bear Lee, a winner of 21 races and more than $180,000 in prize money, Myola Sunrise is out of Lieu Knee Annie who raced on 29 occasions for one win.
A rising six-year-old, Myola Sunrise has now raced on 170 occasions for 16 wins, 49 minor placings and prize money of more than $30,000.
Taking time honours in the 512 metre Fast Forward heats was the Tracie Price trained Sudoku Jaxon who opened his Mount Gambier winning account with an emphatic 4½ length win in the second of two heats over Princess To Burn in 29.97 seconds.
The first five placegetters from the second heat qualified for this week’s final. Jacaranda, Crymelon Ivy and Agon Caramel virtually went over the line as one in the first heat in a considerably slower 30.68 seconds and also made it through to the final.
