It was a pair of kennel mates who dominated last Thursday afternoon’s Waikato hosted $11,470 NZRS Advanced final over 457m, while later that evening two feature 520m $7,500 Restricted Age races wrapped up the featured racing action for the 2017/18 racing season at the Addington Raceway.
Pictured: Beautiful Boy who stylishly won the Cambridge NZRS Advanced event (pic, Sarah - Waikato GRC)
With the occasional exception it is Kiwi bred greyhounds that is predominantly raced from the Drury based Ben Craik kennels with the bulk of them being bred, whelped, reared, broken in and trained at the property. It is a family focused operation with wife Barbara, along with daughters Lisa and Tracy providing full hands on assistance.
Therefore last week’s Craik trained quinella in the Cambridge Raceway hosted NZRS Advanced final was a thoroughly deserved success for not only the Craik family but also for the owing Katcha Jordana syndicate.
The quinella came via a pair of half brothers who was whelped from the former handy greyhound Just Jordana who was retired to the breeding kennels as an open class chaser. She has delivered two more than handy litters who has been successfully raced by the Katcha Jordana syndicate.
Both Beautiful Boy, who was sired by El Grand Senor, along with the Black Enforcer sired Suspicious Minds won both 457m heats the prior Thursday for this NZRS Advanced series. Beautiful Boy completed his heat assignment in 25.72s, while Suspicious Minds returned 25.86s for his heat win, which was his first attempt at 457m racing. They were then allocated the inside two traps for last Thursday’s final.
Suspicious Minds, who has compiled a respectable Cambridge 375m sprint record, hopped away smartly from the one trap. He was stalked by Beautiful Boy, while the Wayne and Tracy Steele prepared Trevor Gibbs and Noah Who for Hayley Mullane led the chase after the kennel mates.
It was Beautiful Boy, who used his known 457m strength, who extended stylishly within the shadows of the post to cut back a gallant Suspicious Minds to claim his feature race win by a length, clocking 25.63s.
Meanwhile in behind the kennel mates it was Noah Who that stretched out nicely just shy of the line which saw this son of Piggy Back and Bobby Who snatching third, a further 1.25 lengths behind. He shaded Trevor Gibbs (Collision – Spirit Of Grace) by a head margin for that placing.
As a result of this win Beautiful Boy extended his career stake earnings out to $49,512 (excluding Breeders’ bonus payments) which has come via his 17 wins and 18 minor placings from his 61 race day outings.
Auckland GRC Chairman John Roberts is the Katcha Jordana syndicate manager and he advises that Just Jordana is no longer available for breeding. “We had to spade her after she had a health issue and she is now living a deserved life as a couch potato. Her two litters has provided us 95 race wins.”
Tracy Craik with the Cambridge NZRS Advanced winner Beautiful Boy, while flanking him is his kennel mate and half brother Suspicious Minds who was handled by Carolyn Henley. The full Waikato NZRS Advanced podium, with Noah Who and handler Marie Pangley in third place (pics, Sarah - Waikato GRC)
2018 Flair Canterbury Laurels
It was during the New Zealand Cup meeting in 2016 when the nicely bred Fernando Bale – Molly Paisley puppy, donated by Michael Cox, was auctioned with all proceeds going to charity. It was the long time Dunedin greyhound industry participant Mark Thompson who lodged the winning bid.
That greyhound was named Malaga Molly and she went into the mentoring care of John McInerney who has since gone onto to prepare her to win five races with her last win being a cracker.
Last Thursday evening she was loaded away into the Addington 520m one trap to contest the $7,500 2018 Flair Canterbury Laurels for the bitches. A consistent feature of her racing has been the early pace that she displays. It was that asset which she effectively used at trap rise which saw Malaga Molly pinging straight into the race lead. She was never headed afterwards as she controlled the pace throughout to effortlessly cruise to her biggest career victory by a six length margin, clocking 30.58s.
It was her kennel mate Debbie Baxter who led the chase after Malaga Molly, however she peaked on her gallop which then saw the Ray Adcock prepared Invincible Sue finishing solidly to claim the runners up prize. She held a three quarter length advantage over another strong finisher Viktoria Vikkers from the Craig Roberts kennels who nailed third.
Malaga Molloy has now earned $17,136 from those five career wins, plus another 16 minor placings from her 31 race day appearances.
Malaga Molly delivering her Flair Canterbury Laurels win and with her handler Jonathon McInerney back at the podium. The full Flair Canterbury Laurels podium with runner up Invincible Sue along with the third placed Viktoria Vikkers (pics Dave Robbie)
2018 Kolorful Kanvas Garden City Classic
It was the male dogs turn when, after contesting two 520m heats the previous Thursday, they lined up for the $7,500 Kolorful Kanvas Garden City Classic final. There was a fair amount of jostling that occurred when the field raced into the first turn, which effectively ended the claims that are number of the favoured contenders held.
Princely Gold led the field around the first turn for John McInerney. He was hotly pursued by the Ashley Bradshaw trained Hankenstein who took over the race lead when entering the back straight and he broke the field open when building a handy lead.
Know Conclusion made a tardy start for his conditioner Gary Cleeve and he settled in the rear group. He then railed underneath the first turn traffic and got himself into third in the back straight, although he was standing up the pace setters a fair margin.
Hankenstein held a decent buffer when turning in for the run home, however it was Know Conclusion who absolutely rocketed home late to snatch his feature race victory when clocking 30.77s. In doing so the $31.80 win divi he paid put a big hole in the remaining tickets in the terminating TAB $25,000 Pick6 that operated on the meeting. Ultimately it was just a ten per cent unit that was paid out the entire $25,000 pool.
Hankenstein gamely stuck to his task when finishing second a length behind, while it was the Dave and Jean trained Mr. Matt who rattled home for his third placing, a further 4.5 lengths astern after being involved in the first turn buffering.
Know Conclusion’s win was further success for the Gary Cleeve and Gaylene Turnwald breeding and training operation as he was bred from a pair of greyhounds that the couple had successfully raced. It was the ninth career win for this son of Know Class and Know Which. He has placed on a further 17 minor placings which has yielded him with 26,889 from his 53 races.
Know Conclusion delivering his Kolorful Kanvas Garden City Classic and with Gaylene Turnwald post race, while he was joined by second placed Hankenstein and the third place finisher Mr. Matt - pics supplied by Dave Robbie – drobbie91@gmail.com – 021 607 869 for all your South Island race photos
