BOB MAY
THERE was another great night
of greyhound racing on Sunday
at Gawler that resulted in three
training doubles, plus an owner
treble from the Butchers – Cameron
and Yvonne.
The first trainer to register a double
was Ken Gill, who managed the
feat in consecutive events.
Gill’s first winner was Zipping
Sultan, which had landed second
after the start, behind Tangelo Fire,
but proved to be too speedy for the
others, running a good time of 30.84
seconds. The second win came in
the next event, when Zipping Benson
settled in third position going
around the first turn.
The leader, Hali’s Girl, set a good
pace out in front, and at one stage
set up a four-length break over
Zipping Benson. But with a strong
finish, Zipping Benson proved to
be too good, winning by more than
two lengths.
Gill’s double also gave owners
Tim Aloisi and Matt Lehman a winning
double.
Two Wells trainer Bosko Stamenkovic
was the next to lay
the foundation for his double
when Fire Strike won the first of
two heats of the Howard Ashton
Group 3 Classic. Starting from
box eight, Fire Strike had begun
well, but was caught wide before
being able to sweep to the lead
half way down the back straight,
going on to win by just over two
lengths.
The second leg of Bosko’s pair
came via Time Wise, which scored a
comfortable victory by five lengths.
Ben Rawlings struck his double
in the last races on the program,
with the first being Barbados Express
in a grade six 643m race.
Barbados Express had recently
won the prestigious Bayroad Queen
Stayers feature at Murray Bridge,
and was able to record an all the
way win, with a narrow margin of
just under a length.
Rawlings’ second win was in the
final race, which saw Vontae Mack
take the lead mid-race and power
away from the opposition to win
over Victa Jess by eight lengths in a
good time of 30.84 seconds for the
531m journey.
There was also an ownership
treble that included the two
heats of the feature race on the
night.
Having been successful as a part
owner of Fire Strike in the first heat,
Cameron Butcher won the second
heat with its littermate, Jack’s Well,
which continued on its great winning
record at Gawler, which now
stands at seven wins and three placings
from 11 starts.
Fire Strike and Jack’s Well are
both owned by Meningie’s Cameron
and Yvonne Butcher, and
will join the other qualifiers for the
$37,500 final to be run at Gawler on
Sunday.
The third win for the Meningie
couple was Time Wise, which
rounded off a good night at the races.
The racing schedule at Gawler
for this week is Friday afternoon,
an extra meeting early on Saturday
morning, Sunday night and Tuesday
afternoon.
Catering is available at each
meeting, and if you are looking to
have a meal at the popular Sunday
night meeting, book with the club
on 8522 2935.