The $6,000 Peter Earley Classic has been the main support race during the Duke Of Edinburgh Silver Collar meeting for numerous years. Sunday’s edition produced a real humdinger of a finish with a pair of head margins separating the first three greyhounds.
Pictured: Peter Earley presenting the Peter Earley Classic trophy to Robin Wales manager of the Opawa Racing team, owners of race winner Uno Twenty Five
Three greyhounds dueled it out during the run home to the 527m event which resulted in judge Tommy Thompson awarding the race to the Glennis-Farrell-prepared Uno Twenty Five over the powerful finishing Cawbourne Palmer from the Angela Turnwald kennels, while locked up with them was the Dave-and-Jean-Fahey-trained Egomaniacal.
It was an appropriate finish to the event that recognizes the long-time Auckland commentator who, two races later, went on the commentate his 46th Duke Of Edinburgh Silver Collar final after having commentated his first Silver Collar final at the Kumeu greyhound track in 1973, which was the third edition of the great race.
Earley rated Sunday’s Silver Collar final as one of the greatest ever he’s commentated on. “That was a beauty. I’ve called many exciting, action packed Silver Collars – the way that Ring The Bell won this final was outstanding. I can’t recall a stayer leading, then being passed, then come back again to win the race like this bloke did.
“It was also great to call home Ring The Bell for Ray Adcock who hadn’t trained a Silver Collar winner. What made this Silver Collar even better was being able to call the first ever back-to-back winner of the great race,” added Earley. Tivoli Tom is the only other dual Duke Of Edinburgh Silver Collar winner when he won the 1992 and 1994 editions.
Uno Twenty Five jumped onto the early pace and led going into the first turn which saw a couple of contenders being badly impeded. Slipping through underneath the checked runners was Egomaniacal, while Cawbourne Palmer was also pushing forward after making a much better race start than what he normally does.
They stayed in pretty much that order until they turned for home with Uno Twenty Five kicking on stoutly to nail his first career feature race win in 30.87s. Finishing powerfully was Cawbourne Palmer and he snatched the runners up prize away from Egomaniacal by that head margin.
It was Uno Twenty Five’s 36th race day outing, with this win being the eighth for this Opawa Racing owned and bred son of Magic Sprite and Winsome Uno (she won the 2009 Auckland Cup). After adding in 13 minor placings his stakes earnings now sit at $20,108.
Other features during the afternoon included the running of the $3,500 Hifi Allegro Sprint which was stylishly won by the Ben Craik prepared Just One Smile. This girl has proven to be a very swift sprinter over the Manukau 318m dash and so it proved when she scampered through her sprint in 18.35s to easily claim her 21st ($35,737) career victory. In doing she led her kennel mate Formation home by a 4.75 length margin.
A special presentation was made during the meeting to the retiring editor of the Best Bets racing publication Alan Caddy. Alan has been valued supporter of the greyhound code for many, many years and his efforts were recognized with the running of the Alan Caddy Appreciation Stakes, which was strongly won by the promising Hayley-Mullane-prepared Wairoa Lenny.
The Peter Earley Classic winner Uno Twenty Five; Just One Smile handled by Tracy Craik with members of the owing Katcha Jordana syndicate, while syndicate member Selwyn Loader handled runner up Formation; Alan Caddy presented the race ribbons for the race named after him which was won by Wairoa Lenny who was handled by Hayley Mullane’s mum Marie
By Peter Fenemor
