Peter Fenemor: Quality weekend of pups on the cards
Peter Fenemor • January 30th, 2025 10:41 AM
The luckless Auckland Cup runner Paw Bradley can bounce back onto the top of the Waikato podium this afternoon by winning the last race open-class 457m event.
Trainer Craig Roberts' son Dan has remained in the north since the Auckland carnival, and he’ll load away his father’s charge into the six-trap in what is a depleted field.
Paw Bradley, who is the current 29.50 Addington 525m track record holder, was badly impeded when racing into the first turn in the Cup final. His effort to get up for second, beaten three-quarters of a length, was phenomenal.
He has remained in the north to check out the Cambridge track prior to returning north for the March 13 running of the $50,000 New Zealand Derby.
The 375m open-class sprinters will be sighted in action in Race 11. The Cole prepared Writ Large is resuming from a 10-week spell. She trialled okay over 375m at the Manawatu Raceway last week, clocking 21.51.
She brings the quickest 20.99 375m field time into this dash and she has raced generously from the two-trap before.
Railway winner returns to Addington
Sunday’s impressive Gr.1 Railway Sprint winner Everest Sky makes his return to Addington where he will be sighted wearing the pink racing vest in the 295m Valley Inn Tavern Dash (Race 7).
Obviously the inform Dave Fahey and Katie Wyllie mentored sprinter will be warmly supported.
Include the nicely drawn Goldstar Koda (2) in the race combos. The Riley Evans trained sprinter didn’t receive any racing favours during his Sunday Manukau 318m sprint. He is likely to relish his return to Addington.
The Fahey and Wyllie training partnership dominate the Happy Retirement Opawa Hugo Stakes 525m field (Race 8) with the inform pair of Opawa Archer and Opawa Kyle favoured to feature at the business end of the race.
Dynamite return to Hatrick
The recent Waikato Classic winner Boom Dynamite makes his return to the Hatrick Raceway on Friday evening where he will contest the 520m Presidents Stakes (Race 10) following his gallant fourth place finish in the Auckland Cup.
Running close to his slick 29.56 520m best time should be sufficient to see him prevailing in what is a Lisa Cole dominated field.
Russian Ahead also returns south after she stylishly won a Manukau Sunday C5 527m feature event. She has drawn to race handy to the pace from trap-two.
The claims held by both the strong Johnny Football, along with Blazin’ Master, who has endured luckless recent Manukau races, can never be overlooked.
It’s an intriguing field of Cole mentored open class sprinters who will be loaded away into the 305m traps for the Moore Law Whanganui sprint (Race 6). The entire field raced in various Manukau feature 318m sprints last Sunday.
Midnight Brockie was in the lead group when sprinting into the turn in the Railway Sprint final when she was dragged from behind, losing all claims. Sure, her trap-seven form looks awful on paper, however she does have the ability to quickly ping out of the traps.
Big Time Lime, Big Time Tactics and the Railway Sprint fourth place-getter Big Time Proof all delivered competitive Manukau 318m sprints and they certainly can feature in this dash.
Sunline Trophy to be decided on Sunday
The Sunline Trophy has been a feature 527m event hosted by the Auckland GRC for a number of years. As the race name suggests the event remembers the brilliant mare Sunline, who was co-owned by the Auckland GRC and GRNZ life member Thayne Green, supported by his wife Dorothy.
Green’s involvement in greyhound racing goes back many, many decades to the pre-tote racing days. He trained numerous outstanding greyhounds from his Airfield Road property in Takanini.
One of his many training highlights was mentoring the staying litter sisters Steiny Blue (1988) and Brydie Girl (1989) to victory in the highly sought after Duke Of Edinburgh Silver Collar, which is a race that is regarded as the most prestigious race on the national greyhound calendar.
Sunday’s running of the $5,000 Sunline Trophy Stakes (Race 9) has attracted an exceptionally even field of mix graded chasers.
Holding the class edge over her rivals is the Jared Udy and Denise Cottam prepared open class greyhound Kiwi Moments. She will have to use her known early pace when she exits from the six-trap.
Her litter brother and kennelmate Papa Kiwi stylishly won a feature 527m race on the Auckland Cup undercard last Sunday.
Holding the field best 527m time is Opawa Wine who has posted a tidy 30.43 gallop for her conditioner Sean Codlin. Strength is her biggest asset, and she is a litter sister to the recently retired classy greyhound Opawa Hugo.
7 Dog sprint fields
Starting this week all sprint fields (295m – 410m) at all meetings will be drawn with seven-greyhounds, with box-one remaining vacant. It is another welfare initiative introduced by GRNZ, which has been in the planning for a while.
Picture at the Top of the Page: Paw Bradley who is strongly favoured to win this afternoon’s Cambridge open class 457m race. Credit: Rhian Farrell
