Za’ma Beauty’s foray into long distance racing has been put on hold while she attempts to "steal" a pair of 520m 5th grades at Wentworth Park.
Ken Wood, whose wife Bev trains Za’ma Beauty, last Tuesday night’s impressive 600m winner at Gosford, believes their greyhound is capable of winning a couple of Wentworth Park sprints.
"Only time will tell whether Za’ma Beauty will run 720m but at Gosford her 600m time was not much slower than what Pride Of Egypt recorded in the top grade and our bitch would not have blown a candle out after the race.
"She is very clean winded and someone commented that she looked as if she could go around again.
"But I’ll nominate her for a 520m race at Wenty on Saturday and in the meantime she has box six in a heat of a Gosford To City 515m race on Tuesday night.
"If she qualifies for the Wenty final of that event she will get the chance to steal a couple of 520m races in town before she embarks on a career as a stayer.
"Za’ma Beauty’s dam Our Solution ran second over 720m at Wentworth Park and she is from the same litter as Isadora, the mother of the 2010 Vic Peters Classic winner Isadoll.
"Brad Canty, who trained Tuesday’s Woy Woy Poultry Gold Cup winner Awesome Project, bought Isadoll from Bev and I after she had three starts.
"Za’ma Beauty certainly has the bloodlines as she is closely related to Our Dynamo, who won a Paws Of Thunder heat in 2011 but in the final was clipped from behind when disputing second place with the eventual winner, Free Will, at the first turn.
"Our Dynamo got hurt and didn’t race again but after waiting two years for her to come in season she has a 10 day old litter by Magic Sprite."
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With Awesome Project and Pride Of Egypt holding the spotlight at last Tuesday’s Gosford Cup meeting an extraordinary achievement by Hot Bonus went unnoticed.
Hot Bonus won over 400m, taking his record to six starts for six wins over the Gosford sprint trip.
Hot Bonus’ remarkably consistent performances over 400m at Gosford are all the more remarkable because these races are staged from a bend start.
Despite this Lennie Harris, whose wife Evelyn trains Hot Bonus, describes the dog as “only handy.’’
Hot Bonus is from the previous litter to Lennie and Evelyn’s Magic Display, who was runner-up to Awesome Project in the Woy Woy Poultry Gold Cup.
"We will eventually get back to Wentworth Park with Magic Display but in the meantime she has box one in race eight at Lismore on Tuesday night and then we’ll probably take her to Albion Park, a track she loves."
Magic Display was a gift to Evelyn and Lennie’s grand-daughter Dale Cogden and her earnings are paying for the 21-year-old’s university tuition.
"We train her for Dale on a 50-50 basis so although Magic Display didn’t win she still collected $4000 as her share of second prizemoney and still hasn’t come down to earth," Lennie said.
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Chalk one up for the battlers with 62-year-old Len Polidano landing a winning double at Gosford last Tuesday night with four-year-old veteran Dossy’s Tiger and maiden Upfront.
Len, who bought his first greyhound in 1972, is noted for his patience and that characteristic was there in spades with his Gosford double.
Upfront had been beaten at her previous 14 starts while Dossy’s Tiger, who suffers from chronic wrist problems, was off the scene through injury from July until December.
I caught up with Len while he was building a greyhound yard for Richmond president Ross Burton.
"I build dog yards and put up chainwire fencing for a living but train six greyhounds as a hobby," Len said.
"The best I’ve had were Tal Borda and Blanket Head but easily the most successful was Surfy’s Son, who won four in town and made the National, Richmond and Penrith Derby finals.
"He won a big race at Richmond in 1978 and won 16 of 50 starts.
"I doubt I’ll ever get another as good as Surfy’s Son but I intend to keep trying."
