Finally, Ben has something to yap about

Finally, Ben has something to yap about

Portland greyhound Nitro Yap’s impressive win in the Rock’s Tavern Stake (400 metres) at last Thursday’s Tara Raceway meeting could not have come at a better time as far as owner-trainer Ben Boers was concerned.

Taking on a more than handy 5+ wins field, Nitro Yap overcame a slow start from box four before finding the front down the back and then going on to a 21⁄4 lengths win over Another Pick in a best of day time of 23.04 seconds.

The win, his 11th, came at his third run back from a six weeks’ break with Boers now keen to tackle a heat of Sunday’s Mount Gambier Cup (512m) with the May 2018 black dog. It’s been six years since Boers won the Mount Gambier Cup with Lots Of Yap, a reserve runner that gained a start from box one as a reserve.

And while no race records were broken that day, her clash with Bourne Again still makes it one of the more memorable cups in recent history. Nitro Yap, who is a son of Lots Of Yap (by Nitro Burst), missed last year’s belated running of the cup due to the border closure, Boers saying his dog had been restricted to racing at Warrnambool.

“Do not get me wrong, that was certainly better than not going around at all but I would have dearly loved to have been over at Mount Gambier with Nitro Yap for the cup. “As it was, one of her offspring in Bay Me did run in last year’s cup heats for Andy Graham who placed her in Mount Gambier with David Peckham before the cup,” Boers said.

And by the time this year’s Commercial Hotel Mount Gambier Cup final has been run, Lots Of Yap should have whelped a second litter, this time to Glen Gallon. The service was part of the 2015 cup winner’s prize.

Mount Moriac trainer Kevin Ward continued his terrific run at Tara Raceway’s Thursday meetings after Premier Slice and Oreo Lady landed him yet another double. All told, he has now trained 21 local winners this year.

Both greyhounds recorded easy wins but it was Oreo Lady, a granddaughter of the former champion chaser Mepunga Nicky, who really impressed when leading all the way in the Williams Crane Hire 1-4 Wins Stake (512m). However, despite Oreo Lady’s six lengths win over Crackerjack Lach in a quick 29.87 seconds it’s unlikely Ward will be fronting up in Sunday’s cup heats with the January 2019 whelping.

“No, I doubt that I’ll worry about the cup with her,” said the trainer of Go Wild Jack, winner of the 2007 Ballarat Cup. “But I certainly believe Tiger Time has done enough to warrant having a crack at the event.”

By Shima Bar out of Nova Heart, Tiger Time has won 13 races for $32,000 in stakemoney. The brindle dog has raced only once at the local track and that was back in February when finishing third to Don Turner’s All Show in 29.86 seconds. Another trainer enjoying a good year at Tara Raceway is Edenhopebased Cap Abbott who brought up his 18th win last Thursday when Another Cadillac was successful in the Bourne Kennels 1-4 Wins Stake (400m).

The pint-sized 24 kilograms Another Cadillac had won on debut four days earlier over the same distance in 23.70 seconds. But she found plenty second-up, leading all the way to defeat the Wardtrained Southern Thunder by 21⁄4 lengths in 23.21 seconds.

Purchased by Abbott as a pup, the white and black bitch is by Aussie Infrared out of the unraced Olivia’s Ruby who is a litter sister to Bills Back, a winner of 38 races and $85,000 in stakemoney.

Olivia’s Ruby is also a litter sister to Proud Fantasy, the dam of Abbott’s Another Pick who is currently sitting in second spot in this year’s Mount Gambier Greyhound of the Year award with five wins.

And putting in a big run to bring up his first win since last September was Proud Fernando, trained at Compton by Tracie Price, currently travelling along nicely in front in the 2021 Ian Badger Leading Trainer award.

Off the scene for the first two months of this year, the son of Fernando Bale x Who’s Doing What then lost another six weeks due to injury upon his return before resuming on March 25 over 400 metres.

Better suited in the Winningformula.net.au 1-4 Wins Stake (512m) a week later, Proud Fernando settled in second spot behind tearaway leader Menari Vegas before powering home for a 61⁄4 lengths win in 30.29 seconds.

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