Menangle Park owner-trainer-breeder Ray Steele looks to have a pair of potential group greyhounds with litter sister and brother Lady Ronray and Ronray Spirit.
The pair landed a slick double at Bulli last Wednesday.
Ronray Spirit, who will contest his 472m final at Bulli this Wednesday, won in a tidy 26.50 while his sister Lady Ronray sped over the Bulli 400m trip in 22.31, a mere 0.11 outside Barcia Bale’s track record.
At her previous start Lady Ronray had won zoomed around Maitland over 400m in 22.33, just 0.22 wide of Little Ed’s track record.
Each of Ray’s youngsters, who don’t turn two until December 21, won heats of the Grafton Maiden Classic in late June, with Ronray Spirit being fastest qualifier.
“I have another from the litter, Festival Miss, who hasn’t raced yet but is in the class of these two,’’ Steele said.
“She has just won a performance trial at Richmond over 400m in 22.96 on a slow track.
“I’ll probably take Lady Ronray back to Maitland this week for a 450m race and after that I’ll consider my options.
“I’m confident they’ll get further but because they are so young I’m in no hurry to get them to Wentworth Park.
“Naturally I’m over the moon with the time Lady Ronray ran at Bulli last Wednesday but I was equally as pleased with Ronray Spirit because he had to work hard.
“Ronray Spirit has always had the wood on his sister in trials but on the Sunday before last week’s Bulli meeting Lady Ronray beat him by a head in a trial up the straight.
“Lady Ronray has a bit on Ronray Spirit for early speed but her brother is a bit stronger at this stage.’’
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Beneke, named after 1940s American band leader Tex Beneke, staved off his retirement by winning over 400m at Richmond last Wednesday.
Beneke will now contest this week’s final and after that owner-trainer-breeder Ben McCauley will decide the dog’s future.
Beneke and his recently retired litter brother and kennelmate King Biscuit Boy are from the litter whelped by Hannah Jane who produced current Wentworth Park stars Satchmo’s Hanky and Pablo Cruz among her next offspring.
“King Biscuit Boy has just been retired after having 96 starts for 11 wins and 35 placings but poor Beneke, who was always faster, has only had 22 races, even though he will be five years old in September,’’ McCauley said.
“Early in his career he looked like being a superstar and in an early win at Bulli, Beneke ran home in 6.41, which was the record for more than six months until the Melbourne champ Barcia Bale won there and came home in 6.39.
“But a couple of years back Beneke developed chronic wrist soreness and then he caught his toe so badly in a wrought iron fence I had to grind it to release him.
“It looked like he was going to be okay but a couple of days later the skin on his toe fell off and I finished up having the toe amputated.
“Ever since then Beneke has been lame on and off so while he is never going to be the dog he was as a youngster, I’ll see how he fares at Richmond in the final before deciding what to do with him.’’
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Well-known punter and owner Brad Canty is getting right behind this year’s Coonamble carnival by risking $17,500 of his own cash to help boost the meeting.
Canty, who has Awesome Project, Zipping Joe and Zipping Spike in work with Melbourne trainer Darren McDonald and several greyhounds in the northern coalfields kennels of Barbara and Peter Sweeney, is sponsoring a “jackpot dog’’ at each of seven carnival fixtures in October.
“At the beginning of each meeting one of the greyhound entry’s names will be drawn out and I’ll give that dog’s connections $500,’’ Canty said.
“But if the dog happens to win its race I’ll throw in another $2000 for its owners.
“So if every jackpot dog happens to win its particular race it will cost me $17,500.
“I’m happy to do it because I’ve attended every Coonamble October long weekend carnival for the past 12 to 15 years and for mine it is the best racing weekend ever.
“There are eight bookmakers in attendance and the betting is unbelievable.
“Any greyhound enthusiast who has never been to a Coonamble carnival should try to get there at least once in their lifetime.’’
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Congratulations to Kemps Creek trainers Fay and Mathew Wotton, whose greyhounds filled the first five placings in the 280m Supporters Club Stakes at Dapto on Thursday.
Herodes, trained by Fay, speared out of box eight and led throughout to win by a dozen lengths with the odds-on favourite Silent Crash missing the start and then failing to handle box one, running very wide before winding up sixth.
Fay and Mathew supplied seven of the eight runners but the winner, Herodes, is a true home grown product, being a son of their former smart Wentworth Park bitch Evangelia.
Herodes was sent out a $31 chance in scoring his fifth win in 76 starts.
