Baxter’s double delight
Wimmera trainers Heather Baxter, Andrea Gurry and Ian Bibby ventured to an ice-cold Ballarat on Saturday to tackle the twilight event, doing so with impressive results.
Baxter had five greyhounds engaged on the 12-race program and produced the first two winners of the night.
Lederhosen Boy, race one, literally fell out of the boxes over the short 390-metre trip, giving his competitors a three-length head start.
Those who had invested on the $2.80 race favourite were ripping up their tickets, but it was when Lederhosen Boy hit the ground balanced up and made his way to the rail that he started working his way through the field.
Turning for home in fourth position, a nice placing looked likely, which, given the start, would have been a great run. But Lederhosen Boy opened right up and went past the leaders like they were stuck to the fence, producing an impressive win by close to two-and-a-half lengths in 22.64sec.
Cruisin Cherry then brought up a race-to-race double for Baxter and went one better than her Wednesday night second at the same venue.
In a polar opposite scenario to Baxter’s first winner, Cruisin Cherry displayed her customary early pace to lead throughout and win comfortably by two-and-a-half lengths in 22:38sec over the 390m journey.
Gurry had three runners engaged, with all three producing impressive results – highlighted by Kinimakatka winning the last race on the program.
Under pressure throughout from Rock Opera, both dogs cleared out from the remainder of the field and produced a match race that saw Kinimakatka hold on to win by a head in 22.24sec over the 390m distance.
To put some context at just how hard Kinimakatka and Rock Opera took each other on, the dogs hit the first split marker in 8.62sec for Kinimakatka and 8.63sec for Rock Opera, hitting the finish line in 22.24sec and 22.255sec respectively.
Gurry’s other two runners on the card, Smiling Olive and Krakatoan, both finished third in their respective races.
Back on home turf on Tuesday last week, Pat and Cliff Smith, Wonwondah, and training duo Tracey Salter and Greg Turnbull, Crowlands, led in winners with the Smiths also running third with Sinful Angel in the Free to All 410m event.
Bill and Helen Hartigan, Horsham, ran second with the ever-consistent Phantom Patch and Andrea Gurry, Nhill, went down in a head bobber with Krakatoan finishing second by the barest of margins.
It was Fernando Bella who produced a perfect box eight display of race sense and field smarts to position up second early and then storm home late to win in the final bound by a nose in 23.52sec in the mixed grade four and five.
Bella has now won two of her past three starts for the record of six wins and 12 minor placings from 30 career starts.
Crackerjack Ben was having his first start since moving to the training facilities of Pat and Cliff Smith.
From the wide draw of box eight, he worked his way to the fence and produced a hard railing performance, outlasting Krakatoan to win the grade five in 23.59sec.
This week sees the running of the GRV Vic Breeders Final for maiden dogs over the 410m distance with the lucrative $8750 first prize on offer.
Lamonica for the Massina Team, Golden Square, is the short-priced favourite, qualifying two-lengths faster than the next quickest dog and is drawn ideally in box one.