After three winners, three seconds and a third placing Mark and Cath Roberts would have headed back to Terang after last Thursday’s Mount Gambier greyhound meeting more than happy with the outcome.
In fact, with 29 winners at Tara Raceway in the past six months, Team Roberts, which also includes Mark’s son Christian, certainly has no regrets in making the move to Terang from Lethbridge 12 months ago.
“We have actually set up the five acre property in order that we can now alternate long walks on the lead with galloping our greyhounds in runs.
“And it’s working heaps better,” said Mark Roberts, who has been involved in the sport since 1980.
“Obviously the move has also put us much closer to Mount Gambier.
At the time we were told that Tara Raceway was a good place to race – a good track, good facilities and friendly people.
“We have certainly found that to be the case.”
Secretly Slick kicked off the team’s day with an all the way win in the Todd’s Photographics Stake (400 metres).
On the line the fawn bitch had 1¼ lengths to spare over kennelmate Uriana Bale in 23.42 seconds.
By Zipping Garth out of Marj Petal – a winner of six races at Richmond, Maitland and Taree – Secretly Slick’s win was her first since being purchased from NSW last month.
Gold Mate followed up with a win in the following race, the Exchange Printers Stake (400 m).
Leading all the way, the white and fawn dog gave the Roberts’ team another quinella when defeating kennel newcomer Blackjack Tiger.
Purchased as a maiden after a couple of minor placings at Richmond at the end of last year, Gold Mate is another one by Zipping Garth, out of Wentworth Park winner Pixel Pak.
And bringing up the treble was Shim’s Heart who led all the way to defeat Blazing Rocks by a half length in 30.38 seconds in the Carlin & Gazzard MG Stake (512 m).
A daughter of Shima Bar and Nova Heart, Shim’s Heart came into the kennels last September after having won a maiden at Ballarat over 390 metres.
“She’s an honest sort of dog and when it comes to racing she’s all business,” said Roberts after the November 2018 whelping had brought up her fourth win.
Nova Heart’s litter of 10 has actually been pretty handy with 2021 Mount Gambier Cup finalist Tiger Time – a winner of 23 races and $66,000 in stakemoney – the standout of the nine individual winners.
Meanwhile, owner-trainer Annette Kampman’s successful year at Tara Raceway continued last Thursday when Myola Pocket scored a 7½ length win in 23.54 seconds over Lektra Hybrid in the final event, the Trackside Meats Stake (400 m).
Kampman, who also owns and trains Myola Dawn (Black Bear Lee x Lieu Knee Anne), winner of the first 305 metre event run at the track early last year, boasts a long-time involvement in the sport with her husband Colin.
She has now trained 13 winners this year at Tara Raceway and currently sits in eighth spot on the leading trainers’ list.
The Purdeet-based Kampman also bred Myola Pocket, a daughter of Lightning Frank and Pocket Queen – a one-race winner back in 2016 over 660 metres at Bendigo – who has a litter to follow by Aussie Infrared.
The Kampmans are also keen supporters of coursing, Annette taking out both the National Coursing Association of Victoria’s 2017 Owner and Trainer of the Year.
Actively involved in coursing since the 1990s, she rates Tally Ho Billy as one of her most successful coursing greyhounds.
“Tally Ho Billy certainly gave us a great thrill when he won the 2017 JN Smith Memorial at Longwood.
“He was also runner-up in stakes at Benalla, Lang Lang and Longwood.”
Tally Ho Billy, one of a number of “Tally Ho” greyhounds the Kampmans raced in Mount Gambier, won on three occasions at Tara Raceway in 2015 and 2016.
