The first feature event over 305 metres to be run for graded greyhounds will take place next month at Tara Raceway.
ySince the introduction of 305 metre racing at the local track in early 2021, only maidens, juveniles and masters (for older greyhounds) have been conducted at Sunday’s Category 2 meetings.
The Special Event will be known as the Cadillac Racing Cannonball and sponsored by Cap Abbott and Kerry Hawker of Edenhope.
Three 8-dog heats will be run on Sunday, October 15 with the $3000 final to be conducted on Sunday, October 22.
And expressing an early interest in the series is Peter Crawley of Mortlake whose greyhound Pursuit was an impressive winner of the Exchange Printers Juvenile Stake (305 m) last Sunday.
Away quickly from box seven, the son of Catch The Thief and Velocity Anifrid led all the way when defeating Cadillac Ragtop by five lengths in a smart time of 17.39 seconds.
“He’s now really starting to put it together on the track,” Crawley said.
“Late in August he won a Juvenile here over 400 metres in a smart 23.07 seconds.
And only last week Pursuit won over 400 metres at Geelong in 22.66 seconds.”
Crawley also confirmed that his stayer Mick’s Kimmy had been retired.
By Barcia Bale out of Mick’s Angel, Mick’s Kimmy raced on 146 occasions for 12 wins and 55 minor placings.
“At the moment I’m considering breeding with her,” he said.
“And one sire I am seriously looking at is Koblenz, a son of Fernando Bale and Up Hill Jill and a winner of the 2021 Melbourne Cup and Cranbourne Cup.”
Sunday was also a good day for Abbott and Hawker after their promising youngster Top Cadillac brought up his fourth win from seven starts when taking out the Carlin & Gazzard Grade 6 final (512m).
By Feral Franky out of Establish, Top Cadillac was only fairly away from box eight before working into the race down the back and running away to a 3¼ length win over Spot On Yvonne in 30.02 seconds.
And their rising five-year-old Nero Valentino’s 15th second-placing at Tara Raceway Category 2 meetings this year saw the son of Fernando Bale and Sweet Barbados move into the lead in this year’s Mount Gambier Greyhound of the Year award.
With four wins, 15 seconds and eight thirds, Nero Valentino now has 51 points and is one point clear of Wind Burn Flash who last raced in July but reportedly returned to the trial track last week.
Meanwhile, the locally-based Bartholomew family – Steve, Lee and Elysia – enjoyed a good week when the Matthew Lanigan trained recent coursing Waterloo Plate winner Unique Destiny switched back to the track at Geelong for wins on Tuesday and Friday over 460 metres.
Friday was actually a two-state double for the family after Unique Pearl, trained by Elysia, was successful at Murray Bridge over 395 metres.
And at last Thursday’s time-graded meeting, Matetsi, small in stature at 22.9 kilograms, turned in a big effort when opening her winning account at start number four with a 12 length win over Quantum King in 23.53 seconds in the Hyland Fox Maiden Stake (400 metres).
By Aussie Infrared out of Banjo Lass, the black bitch is trained and part-owned at Penshurst by Brendan Casey in partnership with Michael Robinson of Mount Gambier.
“She seems to be improving with every start,” Casey said.
“And it was certainly nice to be able to take advantage of the SA-Bred Bonus Scheme given that she had been bred at Compton by Tracie Price.”
For Robinson, the win was his first since those heady days of a couple of years ago when littermates Tandiki and Rocketline collectively accumulated close to 30 wins.
