Flying Pearcedale dishlicker Miss Hot Gossip bolts away to win the Group 1 Hawkins Media Laurels at Sandown last Thursday night.By Brad Kingsbury
GREYHOUND racing is big business in Pearcedale and that was emphasised last Thursday night when dogs from two of the area’s leading kennels won the two Group races at Sandown Park to snare $75,000 in prize money between them.
Jason Thompson’s Miss Hot Gossip showed her class to record an outstanding win in the $72,500 Group 1 Hawkins Media Laurels, while two races earlier fellow Pearcedale mentor Kelvyn Greenough took out a star-studded $36,000 Group 2 McKenna Memorial with his flying bitch Miss Grub.
Thompson’s dynamic chaser took her total prize purse to more than $130,000 after beginning fairly from box one and enjoying a clear passage through the first turn to take the lead entering the back straight.
From that point, the daughter of stud sensation Surf Lorian was never threatened, streaking away to win by more than five lengths in a blistering 29.63 seconds, the second fastest time ever recorded in Australia’s richest series for bitches.
The Queensland-based dog, owned by David Robartson, has now won 23 of its 35 starts and Thompson was thrilled to finally win the race after having trained multiple placegetters in past years.
“We looked at this race a few months ago and thought she was the right dog for it. Any race win is good but this is a great effort,” Thompson said.
“I’ve had the dog for about three months and she was sent down early, basically for this race. It’s paid off.
“She’ll go back to Queensland now for the Winter Cup up there and hopefully will be back for the good races at the end of the year.”
Miss Grub’s win was also a triumph for the district’s kennels and trainer Greenough after finishing fourth in last year’s race.
The black bitch settled towards the rear of the field after the start, as is her habit, but made steady progress through the race and exploded past her rivals in the home straight to take the race out by a length in a slick time of 42.47 seconds.
The Group 1 Brisbane Gold Cup winner took its Group race tally to five with the win and its prize money to $234,320 in 80 starts.
Greenough, who has been a full-time trainer for 20 years and has 12 dogs in his kennel, praised the Sandown club and thanked his wife Jacquie for her work and support.
Miss Grub alternates between Greenough’s Victorian kennel and that of John Dart in Queensland, where the dog will head next week.
“It’s good to win any decent race and she’s been great. It’s her fifth Group win and Group-winning dogs are hard to get hold of,” Greenough said.
“She probably positions up better from the outside and that was the case on the night.
“She will go back to Queensland for a big race up there and then she will return here in about three weeks’ time.”
