Final flurry gives Plusas training win

Press, 6 May 1981, Page 32

Final flurry gives Plusas training win

Three successes on the final night of the season last Friday gave the husband-and-wife team of Ray and Liz Plusa the Christchurch Greyhound Racing Club’s trainer’s premiership for the 16 totalisator meetings held at Queen Elizabeth II Park. The Plusas started the last meeting with nine successes, the same number as the top trainer for the last two seasons, Trevor and Kath Joli, and Bill Werner.' However, the Plusas produced the winners of three of the first four races to top the table with 12 successes. The Jolis and Werner failed to add to their totals and shared second place, one win more than Bill Kingston. The Aylesbury training partnership of Bill Morris and Dennis Rump had two successes at the last meeting to finish fifth with six suecesses. The imported Australian stud dog, Silent Wonder, at present the country’s most successful sire, led the Canterbury sires’ list. His progeny won 22 races and placed him three ahead of No Pardons. Buffeteer sired 15 winners and he was a clear third ahead of Winro-

nin and Top Club, both of which had seven successes. Bishopdale Lass, the dam of the New Zealand and Trans Tasman champion, Tredeka Lass, was the lead-

ing brood bitch with 10 wins. Tredeka Lass and Airwoman contributed largely to that total. Shyloh and Happy Ending both produced eight winners, one more than Moss-Key-Toe, Equador and Dancing Wave. As with most greyhound tracks, the inside and outside starting boxes proved the best traps for dogs to draw. Box No. 2 was the most successful, 32 winners having jumped from that barrier. There were 28 winners from the inside be.; and 23 from the outside trap. At .the other end of the scale, only eight dogs won from box No. 6 and that was from 160 races. After three seasons of totalisator racing at Q.E. II Park, no dog has won from box No. 6 over the sprint distance of 330 m. The same trap had an equally dismal record over the distance of 805 m. All boxes were represented by a winner of that distance except the sixth trap.