Greyhounds

Press, 26 November 1981, Page 24

Greyhounds

Ashburton Derby to Captain Kilty

By

ALEX McMILLAN

. The Ashburton Derby and the Lion Brown Stakes were the feature events at the Ashburton County Greyhound Racing Club’s meeting on Sunday. The Derby, a 530 m res-tricted-age race for dogs only, brought together an average field of youngsters, the best of them on paper undoubtedly being the Winronin—Roaming Kilty dog. Captain Kilty.

Fresh from a brilliant win over Wiremu’s Pride at the T.A.B. meeting in Christchurch two days earlier, Captain Kilty was expected to annihilate his opponents, but severe buffeting on the first bend had him well back in the running. In the back straight he found racing room and unwound in amazing fashion, cruising past his rivals with ridiculous ease. At the line Peter and Noelene Kane’s brindle was well clear of the Plusa-trained Midnight Mint, with a further gap to the third-placed Fairlando. Now a C 3 runner, Captain

Kilty should quickly reach open class. Although beaten by Piraeus in her heat earlier in the day, the track specialist, Tide Song, was far too good for a quality field in the Lion Brown Stakes, a C2 feature over 530 m.

Owned and trained by G. Ching arid J. Flint, Tide Song disputed the lead with Passive Havoc to the home turn, then came away comfortably in the straight. Passive Havoc hdld second just as easily from Taff’s Taxpayer.

Petite Dancer, a winner at the Christchurch meeting, easily won her race later in the day, while Opawa Sandy, a finalist for the Lord Shannon Cup in Christchurch early in December, scored by 12 lengths in his race. A useful field of sprinters lined up in the C 3 295 m event, and this was won by Laurel Rock, which finished well to beat the track record holder, Lord Of York.

Impressive winners in the minor races were Alpine Earl, No Solitude, Wadderin Witch and Busy Inas.