‘Crafty’ is chasing Addington Group 1 field positions
Peter Fenemor • February 5th, 2026 12:14 PM • 4 min read
Rangiora trainer Garry ‘Crafty’ Cleeve is chasing after final field positions for next Thursday’s two Group 1 525m races during today’s Addington dual code meeting.
The male greyhounds will contest two heats for the $30,000 Active Electrical NZ St Leger.
Cleeve commences the meeting sitting on 98 winners for the current season and he has the necessary firepower engaged to bring up his century today.
In the first NZ St Leger heat (Race 9), Cleeve will be represented by the talented Yuki who returns to his home track following his strong last start Manawatu 25.51 457m win.
“I hold Yuki in high regard, and he is coming off strong recent races. Three races ago he beat Chief Dribble fair and square over 525m here and he impressed me with his strong last start Manawatu 457m (25.51) 457m win.
“I have always rated him amongst the top handful of Restricted Age greyhounds. The only chink in his armour is that he can occasionally fluff the start. I’m very happy with him,” advised Cleeve.
Cleeve has two contenders, Twisted Truth and Dalgety, in the second NZ St Leger heat (Race 10).
“Twisted Truth was ultra impressive when winning (25.63, 457m) at the Manawatu three races ago. He had bad first turn luck in his Auckland Cup heat however he backed up with a solid 527m third on Cup day. He’s already to go,” confirmed Cleeve.
“Dalgety’s potential is unknown He has cracked the Addington 525m 30 second barrier twice with his best being 29.70. He is still learning about racing; however, he is a young dog who I hold in very high regard,” stated Cleeve.
Crafty added, “I would like to send Yuki and Dalgety to Australia to race.” Cleeve has previously successfully campaigned Know Class and Know Danger across the Ditch.
Two 525m heats for the girls will decide the finalists for next Thursday’s $30,000 Selwyn Rakaia Vets NZ Breeders Stakes.
Lining up in the first heat (Race 7) for Cleeve is Decent. “There’s a little bit of the unknown about her. She hasn’t yet shown the ability of the boys, although she’s still improving,” suggested Cleeve.
Defer will represent the Cleeve kennels in the second heat (Race 8). “She’s stepping up in distance here and I’m relatively confident she will get the trip,” commented Cleeve.
The meeting also features a number of 295m sprint heats which will decide the finalists for next week’s $10,000 feature sprint finals for the male and female greyhounds.
The boys kick off the heats with two The Homekill Guys Ltd 295m heats and Hard Frost represents the Cleeve kennels in the first heat (Race 2).
“He a little bit behind the Fahey/Wyllie trained male sprinters. That was nice last start 295m third by him when stepping up to open class sprinting,” said Cleeve.
Max Effort is returning to his home track (Race 3) following his stylish last start second behind Jerry Cola in the Gr. 1 318m Railway Sprint.
“He really put his hand up when mixing it with the big boys in Auckland. I expect him to carry on with that form,” Cleeve advised.
Priority didn’t receive any racing favours when racing at Manukau. “He’s a better dog racing back at Addington. He can handle the wider draws,” added Cleeve.
Cleeve will line up a sprinter in all three Rose & Thistle Feature Sprint 295m heats. He updates us with their prospects.
“Own Class (Race 4) and Classy Noa (Race 5) are possibly slightly out of class here. I believe they will ultimately develop into nice sprinters. Keyara (Race 6) ran a good last start 295m sprint and I expect similar from her again here.
And it’s a fascinating Traced From Birth To Adoption opening event to the meeting with the stayers clashing over the 681m distance.
The classy stayers Chief Dribble and Opawa Shirley match their paws again Both are returning from their respective last start strong Manukau 527m second placings, with Chief Dribble having charged home late in the Auckland Cup final.
Cleeve, while acknowledging the class of his opposition, harbours podium claims for his stayers as he explains. “Little Dodo is racing back into good form following some issues.
“Know Defence is the kennel second string stayer. Both will be targeting next week’s NZ bred 732m feature staying race. And both will go up north after that for feature staying races,” confirmed Cleeve.
Memorial Day tomorrow
It will be an emotion charged afternoon during tomorrow’s Addington meeting, when the Christchurch GRC hosts their Memorial Day meeting.
Memorial Day is an annual event on the Christchurch club’s calendar with all race names featuring the names of those who were actively involved with the Garden City club in various roles over the years.
Those people laid the foundation and then carried on cementing the Christchurch club’s position as the nation’s strongest greyhound club.
Reading through the list of tomorrow’s race names is like reading a roll of honour with every person named leaving their impact on the Christchurch club in their own way.
Included is the Gerald, Lindsay and Janice Cleeve Memorial Sprint (Race 9). It is a 295m sprint that Garry Cleeve would love to win in the memory of his uncle and parents.
The experienced sprinter Know Kora will contest the sprint for him, with Cleeve saying, “Memorial Day is always an emotional day, catching up with families who I have grown up with and raced against for years.
“It’s an opportunity for all of us to reflect back and remember those who were so heavily involved in getting the sport to where it is today.
“Yes, it will be fitting if Know Kora can win my family’s race. She is in sound current form, so here’s hoping.”
