Portland-based Brian Weis, these days virtually a one-dog trainer, had never given up on Rough Boy Buddy winning another race even though it had been close to five months since he had last won.
This is the greyhound by Worm Burner out of Xtreme Gift that Weis had bred almost four years ago in partnership with Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club president Noel Perry.
And they were hopeful of something coming out of the mating given the Weis-trained Xtreme Caution – a litter brother of Xtreme Gift – had won the 2018 Mount Gambier Cup.
Rough Boy Buddy’s first-up win over 305 metres in quick time at Tara Raceway back in May 2022 was enough for the pair to soon after send the brindle dog to the Britton kennels in Victoria where he won two races at The Meadows.
But, due to injury, it would then be another 15 months before he won again – this time back at Tara Raceway over 400 metres.
By the time last week’s Carlin & Gazzard TG5+W Stake (512 m) came around, such was Rough Boy Buddy’s form that he jumped from box three as the rank outsider.
And after coming out of the boxes running, he looked anything but a $41 chance when leading all the way for a comfortable win over fellow outsider Cadillac Patch and Penny Drop in 30.37 seconds.
“I said he was always going to win another race. The trouble was I just did not know when,” said Weis after Rough Boy Buddy brought up his tenth win at start number 50.
Meanwhile, a couple of other popular over-the-border trainers in Koroit-based Peter Keane and his trusty sidekick Blue Brookes made a welcome return to Tara Raceway last week.
Keane, who had recently spent some time in hospital, said he was now feeling somewhat better, especially after littermates Mighty Molly and Typhoon Thomas ran the quinella in the Trackside Pet Meats Pick 6 TG5+W Stake (400 m).
By Zambora Brockie out of Sisco Sizzle, Mighty Molly finished strongly along the rails when defeating her brother by 2¼ lengths in 23.52 seconds to bring up her fourth win at the track and distance.
Incidentally, Keane was the trainer of Our Ando who on a November night in 2019 at Warrnambool had been called before the stewards. Seems the trainer had offered an unsuccessful plea for mercy, claiming his dog had been distracted by a flock of seagulls in the run up the home straight.
And did not he cop a rousing reception from the locals at Tara Raceway when next over to race in Mount Gambier? “Here come the seagulls” still gets a run from time to time.
Anyway, Keane may well have found last week’s Warrnambool stewards’ reports of some interest after the following appeared in six of the race reports.
“The announcement of the All Clear was delayed by the Stewards to review the race footage. Seagulls were positioned on the track in the home straight and alighted as the greyhounds approached.
“After viewing the footage and acting on their own observations, the Stewards were comfortably satisfied that no greyhounds were materially affected so as to affect the outcome of the event. All Clear was posted.”
And the locally-based Bartholomew family landed a father-daughter double when Knight Vader and Devilish Child were successful for Steve and Elysia.
Knight Vader, who was always on the pace from box eight, took up the running off the back and then held off a determined Bluer Than Blue who went down by a length in the Icon Signs TG1-4W Stake (305 m) in 17.86 seconds.
A son of US sire Blazin Wildfire, Knight Vader is raced by Steve Bartholomew and his wife Lee, and is out of Galactic Athena, winner of the 2019 Mount Gambier Cup.
Several races later Devilish Child lined up from box two in the Winning Post Supplies TG5+W Stake (400 m) for Elysia Bartholomew. And after settling midfield early, the white and black bitch took the lead down the back before running out a 3¼ length winner over Pace To Burn in 23.44 seconds.
Devilish Child, owned by Steve, Lee and Elysia Bartholomew, is by Blue Moon Rising out of Galactic Destiny, a litter sister of Galactic Athena.
