Hard To Find scored one of the most impressive debut wins seen over the Richmond 400m trip last Wednesday but she won’t be contesting short course races for much longer.
After this Wednesday’s 400m Maiden Final owner-trainer-breeder George Tyrpenou intends stepping his exciting prospect up to 500m plus.
Last Wednesday Hard To Find, a daughter of Tyrpenou’s former smart race bitch Search Party, was last to leave the boxes and then collided heavily with the pacemaker coming to the home turn before storming home to win in 23.01.
“Had she not lost several lengths through running into the back of the leader I think she would have run 22.50 or 22.60,’’ Tyrpenou said.
“Hard To Find has always shown ability and trialled 18.65 over the Richmond 330m trip before I gave her a 400m performance trial there when she clocked 22.71.
“But she races like she wants 500m plus and is a litter sister to Still Searchin’ who is very strong and has won over 520m at Dapto in 30.08.
“I breed and rear on five acres at Londonderry and give my best youngsters to John and Minnie Finn to train.
“But Hard To Find has had a stopper problem and needs to be kept in cotton wool so I hung on to her to train myself.
“The Finns trained Search Party for me to win 13 races including four at Wentworth Park and she looks like being a good producer.
“Since the Still Searchin’ and Hard To Find litter to Fabregas she has whelped a litter to Dyna Lachlan, which are 15 months old and has just produced 10 puppies to Cosmic Rumble.’’
Tyrpenou has been involved in greyhounds for over two decades and these days trains as a hobby while running the office of father-in-law Bernie Knight’s company Bernipave, a greyhound racing sponsor which does asphalt, concrete and road restorations.
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Despite getting within a tenth of a second of Double Twist’s long-standing Dapto 520m record on Thursday night Fantastic Sid will tackle next Friday night’s Group 3 New Sensation heats in preference to Saturday’s Group 1 Golden Easter Egg qualifying races.
Trainer Jason Fletcher wasn’t surprised when Fantastic Sid clocked a sensational 29.54 in leading throughout from the rails trap at Dapto but has opted for what he assumes will be the easier Wentworth Park series.
Of course that wasn’t the case last year when Hooksy won the New Sensation in a much faster time than they recorded in the Easter Egg.
“At Dapto, Fantastic Sid simply showed what he can do when he draws box one,’’ Fletcher said.
“But I started him in the National Derby and Paws Of Thunder earlier this year and he had no luck in either race so I decided to give the Easter Egg a miss. Hopefully he finds the New Sensation a bit easier.
“Fantastic Sid has only just turned two and has only had 20 starts but from the right box he can run 29.70 at Wentworth Park.
“He started at Wenty with a bang, clocking 29.71 and 29.79 but then a few bad boxes brought him unstuck.’’
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Western Districts trainer Peter Carr’s Thor’s Devil posted fastest time in Thursday night’s special performance trials conducted as a fore runner on next Sunday’s Ladbokes Magic Maiden heats at Wentworth Park.
Thor’s Devil ran down Wallan Baby to score in 30.29 while the Justin King-trained duo Fraudulent and Remember Irene shared next fastest time honours at 30.33.
Fraudulent had previously recorded a smart 22.69 in a 400m performance trial at Richmond so has a bright future.
Alka Casey and Cicatrice gave Carr, who trains at St Fillans, near Mudee, two other performance trial wins in 30.56 and 30.61 respectively while another of his team, Bekim Casey, chased home Remember Irene.
Although Alka Casey took a rather pedestrian 30.56 in his solo trial hit-out, his run home time was an exemplary 11.73.
