It’s now more than 20 years since Jenny Garner of Mepunga East last brought over a greyhound to race at Mount Gambier’s Tara Raceway. But she still remembers the day well.
As it turns out, it was Mount Gambier Cup day on Monday, May 21, 2001 and she had Frightful Lass engaged in the cup day distance event over 732 metres.
Also bred by Garner, Frightful Lass was a daughter of Modern Express x Bayside Girl.
The fawn bitch duly won the stayers’ race in 44.96 seconds when defeating the Tony Byron trained Mel’s Express, also by Modern Express.
Incidentally, the previous year Byron, of Allansford, had won the Mount Gambier Cup with Fitzroy Bomber.
Fast forward to last Thursday and Jenny Garner was back at Tara Raceway, this time paying special attention to a blue bitch by the name of Naughty Shorty, owned and trained by Hannah Garner, the 20-year-old daughter of Jenny and the late Leon.
Lining up from box two in the Produce Store Maiden Stake (400 metres), Naughty Shorty led all the way, holding out Zoe’s Way to win by a nose in 23.38 seconds – a pretty handy time for a Thursday maiden.
The winner is by Beast Unleashed out of eight-race Victorian provincial winner She’s Fabtastic.
Actually, the litter was whelped by Jenny Garner for breeder Chris Dalli.
And it was during that period that Hannah had taken a fancy to a little blue bitch.
“She was just so friendly and always jumping on me so I decided I’d like to keep her.
“Later, I worked out a deal with Chris whereby I would rear one-for-one with both pups receiving the same attention.
“Naughty Shorty has been a real hands-on experience for me,” she said.
“Besides rearing her, I was also able to break her in at the Koroit track with Peter Byrne and Dustin Drew’s help.
“They have been of tremendous assistance with their advice as has Barry Smith.
“I’m sure they’re all very excited for me.
“As far as I am concerned it was certainly a day to remember after training my first winner with my first greyhound.”
But for Hannah, due to ongoing study, it’s now a case of having to look for another trainer.
“Yes, I had been previously studying at Deakin University Warrnambool but this month I will be continuing my studies at the Geelong campus so I’ll have to find another trainer for Naughty Shorty,” she said.
Passing of ladies committee stalwart
Joan McFarlane, one of the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing & Coursing Club’s earliest life members and a long-time member of the ladies committee, passed away last week at the age of 95.
Mrs McFarlane was the wife of the late Andrew (Drew), also a life member of the club and well-remembered for his success with the “Invercoe” coursing greyhounds.
Another life member in Bill Ward, who was also president between 1991 and 1997, said this week that Mrs McFarlane had been a great stalwart of the club.
“She was always at the coursing meetings as a member of the ladies committee and then later at Glenburnie when racing commenced on the track.
“I still remember when we were building the current clubrooms on Lake Terrace East and we were looking for funds to finish off the canteen.
“I was hoping the ladies committee, through its fundraising, might have accumulated sufficient funds that would allow us to finish the job.
“As it turned out they probably had more money than we did.
“Anyway, I approached Joan and thanks to her and the rest of the ladies committee the canteen was able to be finished.”
But long before that, the ladies committee had been acknowledged in the race program of the SE Greyhound Racing Club (as it was then known), when a gala opening day was conducted on Sunday, June 24, 1979 as a lead-in to the first licensed track meeting the following month.
All successful sporting clubs need the backing of an industrious ladies committee.
The SE Greyhound Racing Club Ladies Committee was formed in August 1978 and comprises Mesdames E. J. Cruise (President), J. A. Badger (Secretary/Treasurer), M. Potter, P. Ward, C. Allchurch, C. Miller, J. McFarlane, A. Patzel and M. Mangan
This committee has been active in fundraising and has catered for our many dog owners on trial days with a refreshments stall.
The luncheon on this Gala Opening Day has also been arranged by our Ladies Committee.
