Peta Pitstop, who had a leg in a cast for three months this year, completed a courageous comeback with her all-the-way win at Maitland last Thursday.
The daughter of El Grand Senor and Wacky Car Races gave her breeder-trainer Adam Wade the first leg of a winning double, with her litter brother Army Surplus also resuming a spell to win less than an hour later.
Despite having her first race for eight months, Peta Pitstop covered the 400m in a nippy 22.62 while her big brother Army Surplus won over 450m in a slick 25.38.
“I was especially pleased with Peta Pitstop’s win because in January she dislocated a bone in her hock,’’ Wade said.
“The injury was so bad she was in a cast for three months and Thursday’s race was only her second 400 metre hit-out since January.
“In a stewards’ trial at Richmond on August 20 she posted quick times for the first two sections and died in the straight while at Maitland her first two splits were fast but
again she faded at the finish.
“I won’t send her over 520 metres at Wentworth Park for a month or so but she was placed there as a puppy so once she is fit enough she should run the distance there.’’
Adam Wade describes Army Surplus as a “big goose.’’
“When he won at Maitland he had not raced since July because he had a few niggling injuries and was finding trouble in his races so I gave him six weeks off,’’ he said.
“Army Surplus is a big, leggy 36kg dog who seems to think he can run over the top of his rivals instead of going around or underneath them.
“He is a lovely pup but he is still exactly that, a big, immature puppy.’’
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Lemon Tree Passage newsagent Ross Fitzgerald has a greyhound with immense potential as a brood bitch in the aptly-named Paper Miss, who stormed down the outside to beat a smart field over 450m in 25.54 at Maitland on Thursday.
The Gary Robertson-trained bitch is by Vapour Whirl from Full On Shelby, who is a litter sister to the great Cindeen Shelby.
Deen Parkinson’s Cindeen Shelby in 2009 won three Group 1 finals in four weeks and was crowned Australian Greyhound of the Year.
The Maitland win was Paper Miss’ second in a row at that track and Gary Robertson believes she will be even better suited at Wentworth Park.
“I think Wenty’s pear shape will be ideal for Paper Miss so I plan to take her there shortly,’’ Robertson said.
“Paper Miss broke in sensationally and was always going to be a good little greyhound.
“But for some reason, in her first couple of races, she wanted to get off the track and tended to run away from other dogs.
“I don’t know what got into her head but I tried a few things with her and this trait seems to have been corrected.’’
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While Fantastic Sid has been garnering all the glory among trainer Jason Fletcher’s outstanding Spiral Nikita-Light Fantastic litter, his brother Fantastic Mick staged a monumental performance to win at Dapto on Thursday.
Despite being last to leave the boxes in his heat of the 520m Aliyn Perry Sprint, Fantastic Mick was in front at the first turn and kept his foot on the accelerator to win in a slick 30.04.
The 20-month-old youngster will be all the rage in next week’s Dapto final and has a big future at Wentworth Park, where Fantastic Sid won first-up in 30.01 on August 11 after clocking 29.75 in a trial there.
Not to be outdone by his brother at Dapto on Thursday, Fantastic Sid displayed the family’s blistering pace to give Jason Fletcher a winning double, coming from box three to easily lead noted front-runners Total Blonde and Ellie Mac Lee, in boxes one and two, at the crucial first corner.
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Miss Sueko has trialled brilliantly at Adelaide’s Angle Park in her quest to “do a Chica Destacada’’ and bring another interstate group race back to NSW.
The Justin King-trained front-runner, who has won three of her nine Wentworth Park starts, will contest Thursday night’s heats of the Group 3 Coffex Coffee Oaks over 515m at Angle Park.
“I flew her to Adelaide last week and she clocked 29.96 which was the fastest time of the trials held that night,’’ King said.
“I’ll take her across to Adelaide this Wednesday to give her plenty of time to be ready for the Oaks heats the following night.’’
