Karina's dog really has the Wow factor

By Jeff Collerson
Wow, who stunned Bulli fans with an electrifying 22.24s maiden win over 400m a week earlier, stepped up to the 472m trip on Saturday night with ease and posted top grade time of 26.17 to win a fifth grade race.

Trained by Karina Britton, Wow jumped cleanly for the first time in five starts and after leading comfortably at the first turn, held on easily to score by four lengths from Whitey Sphere and Cumbria Dreaming.

Training honours on Saturday were with 22-year-old Jackson Chaker, who led in Custom Illusion and Mottza to take out a fifth grade and a Free-For-All over 400m.

Custom Illusion fulfilled Chaker's prediction that the switch from box seven, from where the dog was runner-up at Bulli a week earlier, to box two on Saturday, would put his dog into the winner's circle.

"I was rapt in Custom Illusion's run a week earlier as he was trapped wide from box seven and not only is he improving all the time, but he likes an inside draw,'' Chaker said.

Less than 40 minutes after Custom Illusion's win, Chaker took out the Free-For-All with Mottza, who won the group 2 Husqvarna Maitland Gold Cup earlier this year and has now compiled the remarkable record of 34 wins from 78 starts.

Chaker's mother Patricia is the official trainer of Mottza because her son does not yet have a public trainer's licence, but she conceded: "Jackson does all the work.

"When he left home for Bulli tonight I told him I hoped he deserved to come home with something because he eats, sleeps and breathes greyhounds.

"Jackson won a double so he did better than just bringing home something,'' she said.

Custom Illusion stopped the clock at 22.40 with Mottza going a shade slower at 22.43.

Jacqureline Davis, whose mother Patricia trained the 1977 group 1 National Futurity winner Little Fresh, snared the quinella in Saturday's 340m maiden when Bugatti's Wish led throughout and held on by a head to defeat kennelmate Aspen Park.

"Bugatti's Wish was the most experienced runner in the field and that, coupled with her box one draw, gave her the edge,'' Davis said.

"I was thrilled with Aspen Park's run because she is by Bessy Boo and his stock seem to be better suited over 500m.

"Aspen Park trod on the leader in the early stages so she might have been a bit unlucky.

"Aspen Park is part-owned by veterinary surgeon Dr Rob Zammit and it was thanks to his skill that Aspen Park's mother Makedonia survived giving birth to her in July, 2018.

"When I asked Rob what I owed him for his tireless work in saving Aspen Park's mother, he said he would be delighted with a share in one of the pups so that's how he came to be involved in the ownership.''

South coast trainer Robyn Goodwin continued her successful combination with Queensland owner-breeder Steve Williams when Velocity Bottino led throughout in Saturday's 400m Mr Bugs Pest Control Maiden.

Goodwin trained Velocity Liberty to win the 2018 group 1 Peter Mosman Classic at Wentworth Park for Williams and while Velocity Bottino may not reach those heights she is highly promising.

"Velocity Bottino is a litter sister to Grilled, who has won eight from 13 starts and $50,000 in prizemoney for Steve Williams and Queensland trainer Tony Brett,'' Goodwin's husband Glen said.

"She deserved to win tonight because Velocity Bottino clocked a fast 22.55 when she finished second at her first start, at Bulli on March 26.

"Her run home time tonight was good so she should have no trouble getting 500 metres.''

Fastest 472m figures on Saturday was the blistering 26sec flat recorded by four year old veteran Burning Fuel, who led throughout in the Ladbrokes Masters Stakes for her owner-breeder-trainer Mark Wilcox.