On the back of recent record-breaking efforts behind the finish-on lure over 512 metres at Mount Gambier and 531 metres at Gawler, Victa Grosso’s winning run continued at Tara Raceway last Sunday.

Contesting the second of two heats of the South East Greyhound Racing Club 50-Year Anniversary Cup (512 m), Victa Grosso brought up his 31st win when defeating Wind Burn Flash by 11¾ lengths in 29.37 seconds.

Away on terms from box five, the brindle son of Fernando Bale and Victa Victoria was in front soon after rounding the first turn and from then on was never in any danger of defeat.

The win took his stakemoney earnings to more than $141,000.

Raced by the Sue Schadow-managed My Four Girls Syndicate, Victa Grosso was handled last Sunday by trainer Tony Rasmussen’s wife Lisa who was accompanied by her niece Rebecca Burns, with the Gifford Hill kennels for the past four years.

“He seems to have taken a real liking to the Mount Gambier track,” Rasmussen said.

“And while the track operates with a finish-on lure system, it’s fair to say that he did not know he was going to catch the lure when he had his first start here last month and ran a record 29.18 seconds.”

The first heat of the SEGRC 50-Year Anniversary Cup was highlighted by the inclusion of three of Mount Gambier’s better greyhounds in Departure Gate, Captain Larry and Aston Ziebell.

And the race lived up to expectations.

Departure Gate, raced by the Yeah Nah Syndicate and trained at Moorak by Jason Newman, won the race at the start when setting up an early lead from box six.

Giving chase was Captain Larry but Departure Gate, winner of this year’s Carlin & Gazzard MG Mount Gambier Cup (512 m) in April, was always travelling like a winner.

On the line he had 1¼ lengths to spare while Aston Ziebell was a further length back in third spot.

The win was the 13th this year at Tara Raceway for the son of Fernando Bale x Tarks Nemesis and now sees him sitting 14 points clear of Giant’s Flash in the Mount Gambier Greyhound of the year.

The stage now looks set for a terrific final on Sunday with Departure Gate, Captain Larry, Aston Ziebell, Run Like Jess, Victa Grosso, Wind Burn Flash, Aston Marlon and Right Way making up the $5000 final.

Local trainer David Peckham is well represented in the final with Captain Larry, Aston Ziebell and Aston Marlon while Newman also trains Wind Burn Flash.

SA clubs ‘need to keep up with modern technology’

Although Iso-Lynx was an expensive capital expenditure, the SA greyhound racing industry needed to keep up with modern technology or be left behind, according to Combined Member Clubs Chairman, Gavin Harris.

“Some tracks in NSW and Victoria have Iso-Lynx installed.

“However, we are fortunate that it will be installed at all SA tracks,” he said.

“We have saved by not investing in sectional cameras that were originally planned as they will no longer be required once Iso-Lynx is fully implemented.

“And once the Iso-Lynx data is integrated to the results system it should create a labour saving given stewards will have no need to review the footage after each race – and work out the sectional times for each individual dog.”

He said it had been interesting to discover that one of the 595 metre races at Angle Park where the Iso-Lynx had been trialled, showed the winner ran 598 metres and another dog 620 metres.

Harris said the Iso-Lynx would be hooked into the racing coverage on Sky and would also provide real-time data relating to the speed of each greyhound.

“The sectional times of dogs will be made available to punters to provide more information than they currently have,” he said.

“Tracking chips will be inserted into the race rugs of each greyhound.

“The system will then track the exact location of the dog 40 times every second and will provide accurate information on the speed and distance the dog is travelling in a race.

“It will also set us up in the future for Iso-Cam where four or five cameras positioned around the track can use the chips to focus on the dogs.

“This will include obtaining head-on footage at various parts of the race.”

Meanwhile, the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club’s senior track maintenance officer, Tim Manterfield, said the Iso-Lynx (minus the camera angles) should be in operation at Tara Raceway on Sunday, September 18.