IN THIS WEEK’S GREYHOUND RECORDER:
NOVEMBER 20, 2008
MANTRA'S MAGICAL SHOOTOUT SUCCESS

National Distance champion Mantra Lad proved himself in elite sprinting company with a pulsating last stride victory over outstanding Queenslander Queen Lauryn in the Group 3 Shootout (515m) at Sandown last Thursday night.
A superbly bred son of 2005 Australian Greyhound of the Year Pure Octane and Al Fresco, Mantra Lad underlined his freakish versatility when coming from last to down hot favourite Queen Lauryn by a half-head in a spine-tingling finish to the four-greyhound Shootout.
Queen Lauryn, winner of the Group 1 Sapphire Crown at Sandown one week earlier, started $1.80 favourite from the rails in the Shootout, while Mantra Lad ($2.80), a near record last start winner over 600 metres at The Meadows, shaped as the main danger.
Mantra Lad, well drawn in box seven, was last heading into the first turn, but set off in hot pursuit of Queen Lauryn down the back and the pair staged a titanic struggle down the Sandown straight.
As Queen Lauryn drifted towards the centre of the rain-soaked track, Mantra Lad headed back to the inside and on the line, only a half-head separated the star duo in an unforgettable finish to the $20,000 winner-takes-all showdown.

TOPGUN POSITIVE DEVASTATES THOMPSON

Champion trainer Jason Thompson says he was devastated when informed that his champion sprinter El Galo returned a positive swab following his sensational win in the Group 1 Topgun at The Meadows last month.
Thompson, along with the rest of the Australian greyhound racing community, was stunned last Wednesday when he was informed that a urine sample taken from El Galo following his runaway win in The Topgun on October 25 had tested positive to the drug N-Butylhyoscine.
Thompson told The Recorder this week that he had obtained legal advice regarding El Galo’s positive swab and while not able to discuss the matter in detail, the 2007 Australian Trainer of the Year was firm in his conviction that he had “done nothing wrong”.
Thompson will have a welcome distraction from El Galo’s swab bombshell this week as he prepares an extremely strong assault on Thursday night’s heats of the Group 1 Melbourne Cup at Sandown.
Thompson has an embarrassment of Melbourne Cup riches, with a runner in each of the eight cut-throat Cup heats, headed by the brilliant El Galo, which will make his Sandown debut when he exits box six in the second Cup heat.

LILLEY DOES IT FOR DAD

The emotions spilled over as rising training star Anthony Azzopardi dedicated Lilley Criminal’s dominant Group 2 Pages Event Hire Summer Cup (720m) success to his late father Charlie and then headed for Sandown for an enthralling confrontation with Chinatown Lad and Fallen Zorro in the Group 2 Bold Trease Carnival Cup.
“I lost Dad in 2001 and I like to think he’s with us in spirit,” offered Anthony after Lilley Criminal completed a unique Newcastle/ Summer Cup double and threatened the Wentworth Park track record held by staying star Chinatown Lad, which lowered mighty Miagi’s time standard in August.
“We wanted to win a big race together and train something special. My Dad taught me everything, now it’s done for you mate.”
Boxing brilliantly in the Summer Cup, Lilley Criminal took over the mantle of NSW’s premier stayer as she outclassed Sydney Cup winner Others Quoted by 3.75 lengths in the $25,000 to the winner final, with the talented Princess Bale eight lengths away in 42.29, just .36 seconds outside the 41.93 Wenty record.
Lilley Criminal was always a pronounced favourite, starting at $2.20 after opening at just $2.10, with Princess Bale at $3.20 and Others Quoted $6.50, but they could make no impression on Lilley Criminal’s spectacular front-running display.

BENNETT DOMINATES AUCTION HEATS

In-form Wilberforce trainer Vince Bennett dominated last Thursday night’s heats of the Group 2 Country Winnebago Puppy Auction Classic (520m) at Dapto.
Bennett won three of the five Auction Classic qualifiers, courtesy of fastest heat winner Sky Fly High (30.01), See Weed (30.17) and Jayden’s Rocket (30.50), which defeated pre-post series favourite Smart Betsy in his run-off.
The other two heat winners were Never Quoted (30.31) and Diamond Head (30.09).
All three of Vince Bennett’s heat winners are members of his outstanding Big Daddy Cool x Token Melody litter, while he also qualified another two members of the litter, Emma Bites and Sawadeeca, through to Thursday night’s (tonight’s) semi-finals of the $50,000 to the winner feature for greyhounds sold through Dapto’s annual Puppy Auction.
Bennett’s five semi-finalists are the only greyhounds he has in work at present, while a sixth member of the litter, Kidatee Alf, which Bennett sold at the Auction and is trained by Brad Northfield, also qualified for the semis.
Bennett made the final of the Auction Classic in 2003 with Token Melody, the mother of his 2008 semi-finalists, with the daughter of the mighty Token Prince and Smokey Melody running fourth to her litter sister Bazwill, which Bennett had unfortunately sold.

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