Local distance racing, not so long ago in dire straits, recently received a further boost with Ernie The Brute relocating from Victoria and joining the Millicent kennels of Dave Green, now the black dog’s sixth trainer.
Ernie The Brute is owned by Jeremy Moss, a Penrith real estate agent who races greyhounds as a hobby.
Previously all his racing had been done in Victoria where he won four races at The Meadows, Sandown Park, Sale and Shepparton – two of those over 640 metres and 650 metres.
He stepped out in SA for the first time on July 28 when running third at Tara Raceway to Lakeview Heather over 512 metres.
Then he backed up last Thursday with a dominant display over 512 metres when defeating Magic Tom by 5½ lengths in a best of day 29.91 seconds.
A May 2021 whelping, Ernie The Brute’s breeding would certainly suggest the further he goes the better he gets.
By Shima Shine, he’s out of the Queensland bred Saldana who is owned in NSW by Sandro Bechini.
However, Saldana spent most of her racing life in SA in the care of Judi Hurley who won 10 races with her at Gawler and Angle Park which included a couple over 731 metres.
And Ernie the Brute’s litter sister, Valpolicella – owned by Bechini – boasts a prodigious race record of 58 starts for 31 wins and 19 minor placings, many of her performances over the staying journey.
Her prize money tally also probably warrants a mention – $1030, 838.
It was a good week for Green who was successful at Tara Raceway the previous Sunday with Sher Zany over 600 metres.
Then last Thursday Paw Some Storm joined Ernie The Brute a couple of races later to make it a double for the relief schoolteacher.
Bringing up four winners for the week for Green on Sunday was Sher Zany. Raced by Jason Newman in partnership with Green, he defeated the Newman trained Redshift Uniform in the Williams Crane Hire Mixed Stake (600 m) by a length in 35.36 seconds.
And while on the subject of staying greyhounds.
Earlier in the day giveaway My Girl Kellie, owned and trained at North Bendigo by Aaron Blake, scored a 2¼ length win over Galactic Raven in the Exchange Printers Maiden/One Win Stake (400 m).
By Feral Franky, the light fawn bitch is out of McIvor Verna, who at one-time held the Tara Raceway 600 metre track record at 34.84 seconds when trained by Peter Franklin.
And later, the daughter of Bella Infrared and Blonde Caviar was successful over 732 metres at Tara Raceway and over 730 metres at The Meadows.
Preferential box draws commence in SA
It’s been a while coming, but this week saw Greyhound Racing SA (GRSA) introduce Preferential Box Draws (PBD), initially for selected events at the Murray Bridge straight track.
The PBD will comprise three racing traits – R = Rail, M = Middle and W = Wide. The trainer will nominate the racing trait of the greyhound relating to box rise and 50 metres after the start.
This will be reviewed by stewards/grading teams.
Box draws via OzChase can now accommodate an automated process whereby greyhounds will be grouped by trait and then automatically box drawn.
Specific PBD events will be programmed at Murray Bridge on Tuesday, August 13, Wednesday, August 21 and Wednesday, August 28.
It was in April 2022 that Greyhound Racing New Zealand introduced preferential box draw for low grade sprint events.
This apparently resulted in a downturn in race interference and injury. PBD events are now being regularly programmed Australia-wide under each state’s conditions.
