Bigtime Cooper On Track To Defend Wanganui Cup Title

SHARP on-the-pace greyhound Bigtime Cooper will return to Hatrick Raceway this Friday evening to defend his Wanganui Cup title.

SHARP on-the-pace greyhound Bigtime Cooper will return to Hatrick Raceway this Friday evening to defend his Wanganui Cup title.

And following his 30.42 heat win the Lisa Cole-trained speed merchant clocked the equal quickest qualifying time alongside kennelmate Big Time Maple.

Big Time Lantao goes into the $30,000 final as a 30.48 heat winner, while the Gary and Sandra Fredrickson prepared Miss Potential recorded 30.52 in victory.

Big Time Brie will join the finalists, while Canterbury conditioner Craig Roberts qualified recent NZ Derby winner Leonard Bale, plus Oster Bale.

Daniel Lane will return north from Christchurch with his group 1 winning chaser Ozzie for the decider.

The stayers will be in action at group 2 level on Friday evening for their $15,000 Wanganui Stayers final after contesting three heats over 755m last Friday.

Fascinating is an apt description of those staying assignments.

For example, Shaynee had indicated that she had recently come of age as a chaser over the extreme distances. Geez, she did everything to dispel those thoughts in her heat for her young trainer Sam Lozell. 

She took the early race lead, then she completely dropped out of contention to trail the field prior to unleashing powerfully to wind up a neck second behind the Angela Turnwald prepared Hot Platter, who returned 46.06.

It was a stylish performance by Little Teegs to claim her 45.84 heat win.

Cambridge owner-trainer Arch Lawrence is a renowned breeder and conditioner of staying greyhounds and he has another looming star stayer in the making with this girl.

Making the long trek north from their Canterbury training base was Steve and Bonnie Evans and they ensured they will again cross Cook Straight after preparing Goldstar Darwin for her 46.24 heat win.

She stalked the free-wheeling, pace-making Cole trained Nova Willow, who spectacularly compounded during the run-home, to push clear.   

‘Mr. Fix It' Strikes Again

‘Mr. Fix It' is at it again!

The Gary and Sandra Fredrickson training partnership produced former Victorian chaser Akashi Boy for his potent New Zealand debut 23.31 410m win at the Manawatu Raceway last Tuesday.

The Fredrickson's have successfully ‘patched up' a number of greyhounds for their ex-Kiwi Melbourne based owner Vaughan Clark. Pic A Pascal and Tekki Jim are a couple of them previously reported by the Greyhound Recorder.

There was heavy support for Akashi Boy's NZ debut appearance following a smart requalifying 410m trial after the son Goodesy and Every Sound was stood down following a racing indiscretion at Sandown Park last February.

That support was fully justified as seen by Akashi Boy's 10 1/2 length demolition job on his rivals. 

The Fredricksons hold some lofty plans for their new charge as they are considering having a crack at the $100,000 New Zealand Cup series in November.

 A ‘Wale' of a Time

There is nothing unusual about Lisa Cole or John McInerney training multiple winners on a New Zealand race card.   

However it's sit up and take notice time when another trainer applies the finishing touches to half dozen winners on a 12 race card.

Last Monday Canterbury conditioner Robin Wales achieved exactly that when he mentored six of the Addington winners.

Sure, Wales conditions a fairly large team, mostly bred, reared and raced by the Opawa Racing team, whom he manages. 

Basically, Wales prepares the Opawa Racing's ‘B' team, with their top range greyhounds being mentored in the powerful Dave and Jean Fahey kennels, who have conditioned a large number of group race winners for Opawa Racing.

The six Monday winners prepared by Wales formed the NZ TAB Pick6 with his five Opawa prefixed named chasers, plus Our Cook in the last combining to pay a $803.80 dividend for the six consecutive victories. 

 

Latest News Articles