The Opawa Racing team has strongly encompassed that package and that translated into Opawa Brad effortlessly winning Sunday’s $15,000 NZ Sires’ Produce Stakes at Group 2 level.
Pic: Sunday’s NZ Sires’ Produce Stakes winner Opawa Brad
The race victory also took Opawa Brad’s conditioners, the Dave and Jean Fahey training partnership to 99 Group race victories – an absolutely phenomenal achievement!
The Opawa team, headed by Robin Wales along with his close mates Graham Campbell and Ron Todd, has been breeding their own racing team for numerous races. They initially raced Australian bred greyhounds, then on the completion of their racing careers, they made the conscious decision to breed locally from those imported chasers.
They also formed a close relationship with the Fahey’s with the husband and wife training team churning out Black type after Black type winners for Opawa Racing.
Winsome Opawa (Spiral Nikita – Winsome Gem), bred by the Opawa boys and trained by the Fahey’s, enjoyed a successful racing career winning 47 races, being placed on 26 occasions and earning $172, 689 from his 86 races from September 2009 through to November 2011.
He was then put to stud siring numerous quality litters. It was in January 2015 when nine pups were whelped from the Winsome Opawa and Opawa Andrea mating. Included was Opawa Brad and Opawa Racer.
Fast forward to Sunday afternoon at the Manukau Stadium and the litter siblings paraded to the 527m traps to contest the NZ Sires’ Produce Stakes. Brad was in the stripes, while Racer was in the green racing vest.
The early favourite Thrilling Surge was scratched from trap one by his trainer Karen Walsh, which saw Opawa Brad jumping as the $2.50 favourite. It was the Jared Udy and Denise Cottam reserve runner Hey Khali who won the break. Getting away nicely from out wide was Bloomingdales for Ben Craik.
Punching up along the rail was Opawa Brad, who then seized the race lead going into the first turn. It was a race lead he was never going to hand up as he cruised through the rest of his assignment to claim his Group 2 title by a five-length margin. He completed the 527m trip in a tidy 30.36s.
Bigtime Welldone showed the value of having made her Manukau track debut outing the previous Sunday when this daughter of Bigtime Kinvara and Bigtime Karen finished strongly to comfortably claim second for Lisa Cole. Also finishing stoutly, although another 5.75 lengths behind, was Opawa Racer who cut out the brave Bloomingdales of the third placing by a half-length margin.
Auckland Chairman John Roberts presented Opawa Racing head Robin Wales with the NZ Sires’ Produce Stakes trophy. Runner-up Bigtime Welldone was picked up from of the lure by Mellissa Steele, while the third-placed Opawa Racer was handled by her brother Cory Steele
“It is a great result for us,” commented Wales adding, “We bred both of Brad’s parents so to finish first and third is very satisfying. It was when Brad was in front rounding the first turn when I thought he had it won. I then went back to watch Racer as I knew they (others) would struggle to beat Brad.
“It is the first time we’ve had dogs in the race and the first time that Winsome Opawa has been represented in it. Everything worked out good for them. Dave and Jean do everything perfectly – that’s why they train our top (Opawa) dogs. It also goes back to the earlier work we do with them at home. It works out nicely for us with Josh (Lane) leading the home team work,” advised Wales.
“Yes, it is a great result for the Opawa boys and us. When I saw Brad pushing through inside the nine dog, I thought then he would be hard to beat. Brad is a good honest greyhound – not the best we have trained for Opawa Racing, but so consistent who will give it everything he has,” said Dave Fahey about the winner of 13 of his 42 career races. He has placed on another 16 occasions, which now sees his stake earnings sitting at just a tick under $50,000 (excluding Breeders bonus payments).
“To originally train Winsome Opawa and now his son to win this race is very pleasing for us,” he added. “It’s good to get to 99 winners (Group races) and hopefully we get there (100 winners) on Friday night.”
The Fahey’s will be represented by two runners in the Christchurch Casino NZ Stayers Cup at Group 1 level on Friday evening, while they will be lining up three finalists in the Group 2 Barron’s Supplies South Island Champs. Included is Opawa Shackley who won last year’s edition. The Fahey’s has applied the finishing touches to eight previous South Island Champs winners with Egyptian Gold being their very first Group race winner back in 2003. Included in their training successes in the race is Winsome Opawa, who was the 2011 South Island Champs winner.
Opawa Brad’s parents - Winsome Opawa (left) after his 2011 South Island Champs victory, seen here with (from left) co-trainer Dave Fahey, Robin Wales, Graham Campbell and Ron Todd and mum Opawa Andrea is pictured with Robin Wales, his grandson Nathan Breen and Graham Campbell
By Peter Fenemor
