It’s Garrard’s ‘Connie Smallbridge Memorial’ Ashburton Cup time again as the Ashburton GRC host their annual TAB meeting at the Addington Raceway on Queen’s Birthday Monday afternoon. The $6,500 Ashburton Cup has attracted a handy field of greyhounds who will be released from the 520m traps at 2.30pm (race 9).
Pictured: Dyna Dave winning last year’s Ashburton Cup (pic Dave Robbie)
Dyna Dave stylishly won last year’s edition of the Ashburton Cup when he completed his 520m assignment in a tidy 29.96s. The Craig Roberts prepared gun greyhound is in the right form to serve up a repeat dose to his rivals on Monday. He warmed for up this assignment when he delivered his strong 30.10s Thursday 520m win. He settled in the rear group after jumping from trap eight and he then proceeded to weave his way past his opponents. Jumping from trap four on Monday shouldn’t present him with any problems.
Roberts, who will returning from Manukau with his gun stayer Dyna Weslyn when this race is run, has two other Ashburton Cup contenders. The proven stayer Avenger Bale didn’t receive any racing favours in Thursday’s 520m event when he was forced out wide on the first turn. This bloke holds sound looking postrace podium claims from his kind two trap draw here.
Viktoria Vikkers is an interesting runner here for Roberts. Two races ago this girl adopted catch me if you can pace making tactics – they couldn’t when she freewheeled her way to her bold upset 520m 30.29s win. It was the complete opposite on Thursday when she made a moderate start, then she struck traffic problems afterwards and stayed in the rear group for the balance of the trip. She must bounce straight onto the pace when she exits from trap six here.
Robert’s son Dan is enjoying a fair amount of current success with his competitive open class greyhound Egomaniacal. The recent Dunedin Cup winner (and Invercargill Cup runner up) was a bold 30.08s 520m winner in his last Addington outing. He then headed south to Ascot Park where he delivered a two length second over 457m. He wore the pink racing vest then and he’ll be sighted doing likewise on Monday.
Jason Dunn is enjoying considerable training success at the moment and he’ll be looking to his handy 520m chaser Bahama Queen to maintain that success for him in this feature event. Two races ago she delivered her bold third placing in the Group 2 $30,000 The Fitz Sports Bar Canterbury Futurity final. She was impeded during the early rush in her Thursday Restricted Age 520m race and she must hop away smartly from the five trap that she has been assigned for this event. She has compiled tidy looking racing stats whenever she’s sighted wearing the gold racing vest.
Expected to inject some early pace into this race is the Mark Robinson prepared David’s Legacy. The New Zealand Cup finalist led his rivals out from trap five in Thursday’s open class 520m event. He was claimed when going into the final turn and he battled during the run home. He has drawn to feature for a long way here after he hops away from trap one here.
Completing the drawn field here are a pair of Steve and Bonnie Evans prepared C3 chasers. Goldstar Sydney has been mixing her recent race distances. She was involved in the vain chase after the slippery Dyna Weslyn over 732m two races ago, then she received a hindered racing passage after making a moderate start in Thursday’s 520m Restricted Age event. She has been allocated the three trap to hop away from.
Goldstar Ashton contested a C3 520m race here two weeks ago where he boldly chased after an up and coming chaser when delivering his two length second. Drawing out in trap seven has made his Monday task tougher.
Monday Ashburton Cup contenders includes (from left): Egomaniacal; Bahama Queen; David’s Legacy
By Peter Fenemor
