Every Dog has its Day
Peter Fenemor • February 17th, 2025 1:40 PM
Perseverance certainly pays off and for Whanganui owners/trainers Mark and Nichola Goodier their perseverance with Hot Truffle was rewarded when their greyhound finally broke through for her first race win at race-start number 86.
The thoroughly deserved win came up the Whanganui straight track last Wednesday afternoon when Hot Truffle put in some telling late bounds to secure her 17.80 313m victory.
As commentator Mark Rosanowski said at the time, “Every dog has its day.”
In her previous 85 races Hot Truffle had placed in 23 of those races. Her Wednesday maiden win pushed her career stake earnings up to $16,273.
“We’re pleased with her win although it was a funny feeling with Hot Truffle winning. I was very happy with her picking up place stake money.
“The win came out of the top of the box. She’s only a little girl (25kg) who owns a strong finish. Hopefully she’ll carry on with it in the C1 grade,” advised Mark Goodier.
Hot Truffle will be sighted having her first C1 race over the 375m sprint at the Manawatu Raceway tomorrow (Race 6).
It was a hugely successful afternoon of racing for the Goodier’s as aside from Hot Truffle’s victory, they also trained and owned another three winners, plus they secured four minor placings.
The Aramoho based couple have been involved in greyhound racing for around ten-years as Mark explains. “We originally started as owners attending Hatrick meetings.
“I then wanted some more involvement so I got my handlers license which led to me getting my trainers license.
“We sourced some dogs from Steve and Bonnie Evans and after one of them was injured we bred from her. We have 15 greyhounds, including a house dog, on our property
“It is very satisfying when we get a winner and to get four winners up the straight track was a huge thrill for us.
“Yes, it was our most successful day, however it matched the thrill we got when we qualified Bigtime Chloe for the Silver Collar final.”
Bigtime Chloe won her 2019 779m Duke Of Edinburgh Silver Collar heat, paying $76.90.
And you can expect Mark and Nichola Goodier prepared and owned greyhounds to be sighted frequently at the Whanganui straight track postrace podium in the future as the couple are avid fans of straight track racing.
“We really enjoy racing up the straight track. It is a very different experience racing there and our greyhounds thrive doing so,” enthused Mark Goodier, who enjoyed a further training victory during Friday’s Hatrick meeting, taking his tally of winners for the season up to 21.
Mixed Group 1 heat results
It certainly was a real mixture of results that was posted during last Thursday’s set of 525m heats for this Thursday’s two Group 1 finals at the Addington Raceway.
Both $30,000 finals are Restricted Age races for New Zealand bred greyhounds only, as is Thursday’s other feature final, the $10,000 Sockburn Cup over the 732m staying distance.
First up it was the girls who contested a pair of 525m heats for the Springston Hotel NZ Breeders Stakes, with the first four finishers advancing to the $30,000 final.
The Dylan Voyce trained Valderrama belied her lack of racing experience when leading throughout to secure her 30.28 heat win.
Northern trained greyhounds filled the next three qualifying positions with So Strict (Lisa Cole) leading home Opawa Stacey (Sam Lozell) and Our Erin (Corey Steele).
Manawatu trainer Jamie Pruden traveled south with Blazing Maeve and he will return the $45.60 upset second heat 30.63 winner to contest the final.
Goldstar Florrie (Riley Evans) finished strongly to cut the initial pace-making Ripslinger Ruby (Ashley Bradshaw) out off second with Big Time Favour (Cole) winding up in fourth.
It was the same scenario for the boys with the first four finishers in their pair of Active Electrical Christchurch NZ St Leger 525m heats returning for their $30,000 decider.
A melee when the first heat contenders raced towards the first turn, resulted in two of the favoured runners More Magic and Jay Walker losing all claims.
Zestful skirted around the incident for Garry Cleeve and hunted down the pace-setting Perfect Harry (Voyce) to secure his 30.24 heat win.
Perfect Harry held down second, while Romanic Warrior (Matt Roberts) and Diamond Felon (Malcolm Grant) booked their final field positions by being the next to finish.
It was heat training double for Cleeve after he produced Struck Throttle to finish strongly to take out the second heat 29.97.
Original Warrior (Dave Fahey and Katie Wyllie) had set up the pace and it was only during the run home when Stuck Throttle cut him back by a half-length margin.
Boom Dynamite (Cole) stuck on gamely for his third placing, while Impressive Roar (Jonathon McInerney) will return after his fourth placing.
The stayers provided action-packed racing in their couple of heats for the time honoured The Homekill Guys Ltd Sockburn Cup over the 732m distance.
Tess is bred to be a competitive stayer and she strongly delivered on her potential when she strode to her strong 42.99 heat win for Cleeve. (Click here to see Tess win)
Goldstar Ginny in a proven 732m Addington stayer and she was sighted powering home at the business end of her heat for Evans for her second placing.
Pruden will return with Beautiful Baloo after she gamely held down third, just ahead of the Roberts prepared Adobe Videl.
It took the ageless stayer Grande Vue Ace 731m to poke her nose into the race lead which she did in the second heat when she used her staying prowess to snatch her 43.26 win for her owner/trainer Bob Pringle.
Opawa Dallas was so, so gallant for Carol Morris when missing the heat win by the barest possible margin when she also finished strongly.
The pace-making Roberts prepared Maestro Mojito was swamped late, however he held third in front of the Evans trained Goldstar Nadia.
Pic caption: Co-owner Nichola Goodier with Hot Truffle after winning her first race at start number 86
