A recent arrival from NSW won its first race, first up at Gawler greyhounds on Tuesday.
In the first race on the card, a maiden event over 400m journey, No Lights from box 5, momentarily held the lead before Coolbes Valley (3) hit the front. Coolbes Valley then established a 3 length buffer over the rest of the field, a margin that was maintained to the finish, recording a time of 23.14 secs. Second was Hippy Allen for Lisa Rasmussen of Murray Bridge, with third placing going to Queen Allen for Liz Harley of Lewiston.
Coolbes Valley is a recent addition to the Woodside kennel of Graham Smith, who both trains and owns the two year old. Graham purchased the black dog over the internet about 6 weeks ago, after the previous owner in NSW had surgery and was no longer in a position to train. Graham said that the 2 year old is a “handful”, and the previous found him too difficult to handle. That difficulty only applies when the dog is outside, as he is a very clean and quiet dog in the kennel, and Graham is hopeful that with time to mature and with patience, the dog will settle down.
Graham has 15 greyhounds on his property, which require plenty of time and attention. The task is made easier with help from Jeffrey Hobby, who is always at hand to assist. Graham is still enjoying the sport and being able to achieve a win with a difficult dog in its first race, certainly helps.
Angaston trainer Paula Hearnden was the only trainer with a double for the day, with Waltharius getting up in the last few strides to win, while in the following event, Vincent Brown took the safer path to lead all the way.
The rich Produce series will be commence on Tuesday 27th June, with the Final to be held on Sunday 9th July, making it a great time to enjoy racing and a meal at Gawler. The Club races every Tuesday afternoon and Sunday evening, so join us any time.
Graham Smith with Coolbes Valley
Photos courtesy of Arclight Photography