A red hot $1.30 favourite and a $76.90 rank outsider prevailed in Sunday’s two 779m heats for the $100,000 Duke Of Edinburgh Silver Collar at the Manukau Stadium.
Pictured: Dyna Weslyn following her bold, pace making Silver Collar heat win
Dyna Weslyn arrived at the Manukau Stadium on Sunday as the new Addington 732m track record holder (46.65s) and her conditioner Craig Roberts boxed away his classy stayer into the three trap. When the traps lifted it was Dyna Weslyn who speared straight into the race lead. It was a lead she was never going to hand up as she freewheeled her way to her easy 46.36s Manukau track debut win.
Victorian trainer Gerry O’Keefe returned to the scene of his 2016 Silver Collar success when he mentored Ring The Bell to the first of his two Silver Collar victories with two stayers for this year’s edition. He also had a reunion with Disco (kennel name) with Jenny Bartlett bringing the now couch potato north to catch up with him.
O’Keefe’s pair of stayers didn’t disappoint on the track. First up was Vandagambo, who after settling back in the field, steadily improved his field position and he finished his heat resolutely when he was sighted closing to within a four length margin of Dyna Weslyn. It was an eye catching effort that he produced for his breeder and owner, the Melbourne greyhound commentator James Van de Maat.
Canterbury trainer Gary Cleeve is renowned for breeding the bulk of his racing stock, which includes numerous more than handy stayers over the years. He lined up two stayers in the first Silver Collar heat and he’ll return to contest the Group 1 final with both of them. Classy Witch settled just in behind the pace and she pressed on stoutly throughout when she finished a further five lengths back in third.
Know Anxiety is regularly sighted doing her best work at the business of her races and that’s what she did in her heat outing when she finished solidly into fourth another two lengths behind. The finals first reserve came from this heat and it is the Angela Turnwald prepared Ebby Ripper who will occupy that position. She can considered a tad unlucky not to advance after she suffered from an impeded racing passage.
Duke Of Edinburgh Silver Collar first heat runner up Vandagambo; third placed Classy Witch; The 2017 and 2018 Duke Of Edinburgh Silver Collar winner Ring The Bell was reacquainted with his original trainer Gerry O’Keefe with Disco now being looked after in retirement with Jenny Bartlett
Bigtime Chloe had warmed up for her Manukau track debut assignment when she was sighted pressing on solidly at the business end of her prior Manawatu 720m outing. She did more than press on on Sunday, when after settling handier to the pace (for her), she extended strongly over the concluding stages to secure her 47.04s Silver Collar heat win. Understandably it was an ecstatic Mark Goodier who proudly brought his charge back to the podium.
It had been the other O’Keefe prepared stayer Billy’s Bake who had undertaken the pace making duties and he gamely stuck to his task when only going under by a half-length margin. Slighted finishing strongly was Shooters Hill for Sam Lozell and he will be represented with his first Group 1 runner when his big fella finished solidly from a fair way off the pace for his third placing another three lengths astern.
Rippin’ Sam, just like his kennel mate Ebby Ripper earlier, also endured a traffic hindered racing passage, therefore it was a bold effort by him to recover sufficiently enough to claim the fourth placing and with it a place in the final field three quarters of a length further behind. Finishing just alongside and therefore becoming the final’s second reserve was the Matt Roberts prepared Cawbourne Taylor.
Mark Goodier, along with his wife Nickola, was rapt with Bigtime Chloe’s Duke Of Edinburgh Silver Collar win in the second heat; runner up Billy’s Bake, along with the third placed Shooters Hill
Tianyu prevails in the Auckland Derby
It was a competitive looking field of male greyhounds who paraded to the Manukau 527m traps to contest the $6,000 Auckland Derby. Competitive alright, because when the field thundered into the first turn there was all sorts of jostling with every runner being impeded to varying degrees.
Emerging out in front was Tianyu for local trainer Glennis Farrell and that effectively settled the race as he is known for his strength at the business end of his races. And so it proved as he maintained a strong gallop from that point to claim his feature race victory in a ‘sedate’ 31.13s with the time being a reflection of the first turn incidents.
Emgrand Park is a recently imported New South Wales chaser who has slotted away into the Angela Turnwald kennels. He made his Kiwi debut outing over 457m at the Manawatu Raceway the previous Monday when he finished strongly for his third placing. He did likewise in this event where he stretched out nicely to secure his second placing, 2.75 lengths behind the winner.
The winner’s kennel mate and litter brother Gao Gao made it a great result for their Canterbury owner and breeder Mark Lin when he finished strongly to nail the third placing another half a length behind.
Tianyu has always displayed ability and his 11th career win on Sunday took his stake earnings up to $34,505 from his 48 race day outings after adding in another 18 minor placings. There promises to be plenty more to come for this November 2016 whelped son of Dream Collector and Little Dreams.
Auckland Derby winner Tianyu and he’s pictured with his litter brother Gao Gao who finished third; the Auckland Derby runner up Emgrand Park
By Peter Fenemor
