Local trainer triumphs up the straight

Local trainer triumphs up the straight

The text message said it all: “Woohoo. Tops off a great day. Four winners from five runners engaged in four races.” This, of course, had emanated from Allendale East trainer David Peckham’s phone after his outstanding afternoon at Murray Bridge – highlighted by the win of Aston Olenna in the $7145 Straight Track Cup (350 metres).

Well-suited to straight track racing, the sizeable 36 kilograms fawn son of Aston Bolero and Aston Selena overcame an average start from box three in last week’s final before powering away to a one length win over Shavano in 18.87 seconds. Raced by Ray Borda, this was Aston Olenna’s second feature win.

In January he won the Razza Racing Feature Maiden (305 m) at Tara Raceway in 17.49 seconds, still the fastest time recorded over the short-course distance. But according to Peckham, it had not been all plain sailing as far as Aston Olenna was concerned.

“Even though he’d been in my kennels since last November, it was not until the Razza Racing feature that he made his racing debut. “Initially, he just did not appear to be switched on. “And then after his Razza Racing win he encountered further problems that required the surgical correction of the retention of a testis. “Resuming racing earlier this month, he has now won three races in succession at Murray Bridge.”

While conceding the three races had all been up the straight, Peckham said Aston Olenna had trialled on the circle since his surgery and appeared to be railing better. “At this stage I would class the surgery a success,” he said.

The Murray Bridge Straight Track Cup win not only made for a big day for Peckham but also for the Ross Schurgott-managed Nineofus Syndicate, long-time supporters of Peckham’s Bourne Kennels. His other three winners – Zinfandel Tori, Sweet On Me and Midnight Daisy – are all raced by the syndicate.

With the minimum age for greyhounds racing on SA tracks being 16 months, January 2020 whelping Silver Cadillac barely made the cut when he lined up for his second run in the space of four days at Tara Raceway last Thursday afternoon.

The blue fawn dog had pleased his Edenhope owner-trainer Cap Abbott on the Sunday prior when running a 33⁄4 lengths second on debut to Compton Crystal over 400 metres. “I was rapt with his first-up effort because it was the first time he had gone around with other dogs,” Abbott had said after the run.

And Silver Cadillac is obviously a quick learner. Drawn in box five in last week’s Metal Worx Maiden Stake (400 m), he led all the way, eventually running out an eight lengths winner in a best of day 23.36 seconds over littermate Limousine who is raced in the same interests.

By Aston Kimetto, the littermates are out of Ruby Spring, a winner of 13 races on NSW provincial and country tracks. She is also a sister to 22-race winner Leo’s Gift who won the 2017 Group 2 Warrnambool Cup (450 m) and all told collected $157,000 in stakemoney.

Abbott picked up three of the unbroken litter at 11 months of age after they had been advertised on Greyhound-Data by NSW breeder Alex Verhagen of Swan Bay. “Some people do not like buying 11-month-old pups because they reckon they could have been tried,” he said. “I have never had an issue with it. “Besides, it cuts out some of the waiting time.”

Later in the day, Abbott brought up his second double for the month when Cadillac Prince took the lead down the back in the Exchange Printers 1-4 Wins Stake (512 m) before holding off Compton Brett to win by 11⁄2 lengths in 30.31 seconds. Following wins on May 6 with Fairy Wand and Banjo Bliss, and then last week’s wins, he has now trained 26 winners at Tara Raceway this year.

Meanwhile, enjoying their day at Mount Gambier were Wimmera Mallee Veterinary Services veterinarian Tony James and clinic manager Simmon McKew – at Tara Raceway for the first time. James, the stand-in vet for the day, moved to Warracknabeal with his family from Hong Kong to re-establish the local veterinary practice that had been out of action for more than a year.

Also an officiating vet at Horsham greyhound meetings, he will act on a stand-in basis for the Mount Gambier club.

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