CLERGATE trainer David Pringle's greyhounds swept all before them at last weekend's annual Coonamble carnival, dominating the two major races.
About The South, a blue dog by Buck Fever from Pringle's 2012 Group 1 National Futurity winner Midnight Capers (pictured), took out the feature race, the 305m Ladbrokes Maiden final, while his litter sister Midnight Dare landed the major 530m event, the Multicam CNC Routers final.
Remarkably, the minor placegetter in About The South's race was his litter brother and kennelmate Spooky Exit, while Midnight Dare's sister Midnight Waltz, also from the Pringle kennels, was runner-up in the 530m final.
"My mum Rose and I took nine members of our Buck Fever-Midnight Capers litter to Coonamble and got seven through to finals, finishing up with five individual winners over the long weekend,'' David Pringle said.
"Although he didn't win, the stand-out performance was by Spooky Exit, who finished third to About The South in the $10,000 to the winner Ladbrokes final.
"Spooky Exit came out of the boxes three lengths behind the field yet I reckon if the race had been 20 metres longer he would have won.
"He is a real hot prospect and is crying out for a bit more ground than the 305m he went over at Coonamble.''
Pringle trained both the sire, Buck Fever, and dam Midnight Capers, of this amazing litter, who, at just 21 months of age, seem to have the racing world at their feet.
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WHEN Rusty Memories won at LADBROKES GARDENS on Tuesday, scoring his 11th win from his past 18 starts, he continued an astonishing comeback to racing.
Before the Group 2 Maitland Cup series was held in March, Rusty Memories suffered a fractured skull in a freak accident on trainer Mark Davidson's property.
"He was minding his own business, just standing there, when another of my dogs, who was running flat chat, crashed into him,'' Davidson recalled.
"I have never seen a more horrific injury as poor old Rusty Memories' skull was cracked open above his sinuses and my veterinary surgeon put a wire through the bone and placed wire mesh over the top.
"It is amazing to see him come back from such a terrible experience and be racing as well as ever.
"Rusty Memories is just phenomenal out of the starting boxes and while he does not run fantastic times in his races, he invariably leads around the first turn and from then on his rivals have to get around him.
"I had intended putting him in the heats of the Casino Cup and the Million Dollar Chase at LADBROKES GARDENS last month but I took ill so the dog missed those races through no fault of his own.
"He has been racing over 400m lately but I am planning to bring him back to Wentworth Park for a 520m race next week.
"Rusty Memories has had 26 wins and 17 placings and apart from that sort of form, he has a wonderful temperament. He just lays around his kennel all day, nothing fazes him and he certainly doesn't waste energy, but when he gets onto the racetrack he is all business.''
Rusty Memories was originally trained by his breeder David Pringle, who sold the dog as a youngster to his current owners, the Punters HQ Syndicate.
Like the Pringle-trained litter which starred in last weekend's Coonamble carnival, Rusty Memories, who is by Barcia Bale, was produced by Midnight Capers, the National Futurity winner.
