Charmaine Roberts and the Geurie-trained Tony Taro have been crowned trainer and greyhound of the year following the Dubbo Greyhound Racing Club’s final meeting of 2018.
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It was another successful year according to club president Shayne Stiff, rounded out with well-patronised meetings on Friday and Sunday.
“I’d really like to thank our secretary Amanda Coffey, our committee and all of my hard-working staff for their hard work for 2018,” Stiff said.
“It was a great year to race and the greyhound industry is certainly on the right foot now and in the news for all the good reasons and I think 2019 can only be bigger and better for Dubbo and the district, and also for the industry as a whole.”
The Million Chase – the first $1 million race for greyhounds – was undoubtedly the highlight of 2018, Stiff said, with Dubbo hoping to host heats again in 2019.
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He also has hopes for Dubbo to host a Group 3 race in 2019 – first he needs to secure sponsors, and “get the track up to the standard” – with a decision to be made “early in the new year”.
“Dubbo is now regarded as one of the safest tracks in the state … [we] just want to keep working on having the best facilities and the best racing we can,” Stiff said.
The region already boasts a number of Group 1, 2 and 3 winners.
“Caitlyn Keeping won the Blacktop, Simon Keeping won the Association Cup, numerous Zipping and Nangar dogs won group races, and Paul Braddon’s Falcon’s Fury won a couple of big races and quite a few finals,” Stiff said.
“All the leading trainers had a good year.”
It was also a year for the “battlers”, with Ed Pomfrett’s Magic Ballerina taking out Sunday’s final race the year.
It was also strong end to the year for Roberts, grabbing a race win on Sunday with Bolt Keeping in the fourth.
Madeline Keeping got the better of her kennel mate Bolt in Friday’s fifth, the $1.90 favourite taking out the $1150 Shakey Jakey @ Stud Stakes (400 metres) in 22.99 seconds.
Graham Dixon’s Bogan Way ($4.70) was 3.75 lengths back with Bolt Keeping ($4.30) another half-a-length behind.
But on Sunday evening Bolt turned the tables on his kennel mate, relegating Madeline Keeping to third in the $1150 NJK Constructions Stakes (400m).
Bolt Keeping ($5.40) had a poor start but powered down the back straight to settle just wide of leader My Dixie (Merle Clarke, $6.20).
Bolt Keeping reeled him in, sneaking past on the inside before surging away to win in 23.15 seconds, 2.5 lengths ahead of My Dixie with Madeline Keeping ($1.40 fav) a further two lengths back.
Earlier in the night Cooks Gap trainer Len Haaring snagged a resounding double with Arrogant Ted ($2) and Arrogant Archie ($2.20) former winning by almost six lengths and four lengths respectively.
But he was robbed of the treble as Arrogant Katie finished fourth in race three, while Arrogant Stella ($1.50 fav) squandered her lead to lose by a head to Pomfrett’s Magic Ballerina in the final race of the year.
