Sawyers Gully trainer Terry Priest will target the riches of the Brisbane winter racing carnival with his kennel star Old Spice after he broke the 450 metre track record at Maitland.
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The three-and-a-half-year-old son of Lochinvar Marlow and Takeover Teddy led from start to finish on Thursday afternoon and stopped the clock at 24.68 seconds in the Supporters Club Members Stakes.
A brilliant first section of 7.70s set up the record run and Old Spice bettered the 24.74s effort of Magic Spring on November 5, last year.
“After he went well in the shootout at Cessnock on Sunday I thought he would break 25 seconds at Maitland today,” an excited Priest said after the win.
Old Spice has been a grand campaigner for Priest and showed he can mix it with the best when he made the final of the Brisbane Cup last December. He finished fifth behind Dyna Double One after pinging the lids from box two and leading early.
The black dog will always be special for Priest as he was the kennel favourite of his late father Terry senior and he trains him for his mother Denise.
Old Spice has won 11 races and placed 11 times from his 41 starts, including six wins at Wentworth Park.
Maitland Greyhound Club manager Jeanette Bennett said it was always exciting to see a record run and praised curator Luke Baker for his hard work in having the track in such good condition each week.
Supporters praised
Doyalson North trainer Mark Moroney praised the tireless work of the Maitland Supporters’ Club members after Salina Fire won the Mother’s Day Gift Final sprint series over 400m.
The supporters’ club sponsored the $1500-to-the-winner final and also provided a necklace as part of the prize.
Moroney said the members are at the track week and week out selling tickets and raising money to put back into racing.
The Judith Fisher-trained Good Judge was sent out the $1.80 favourite from box three but Salina Fire ($16.80) began brilliantly from box five and led for most of the race.
The daughter of Magic Sprite and Cathella Ice franked her heat win from a week earlier with a 22.44s run to beat the Fred Goodall-trained Archer John by one and a quarter lengths. Mark Davidson’s Blind Sooty was third.
Sandy salutes
Abermain trainer Tom Pullman has done a great job since taking on Sandy Freckle in February for owner Cheryl Murray.
Since then Pullman has won races at Gosford, The Gardens and Maitland with the four-year-old son of Cosmic Rumble and Cindeen Shelby.
Sandy Freckle did a lot of his early racing at Maitland and it was not surprising to see him salute in the Brodie Wells Electrical Stakes over 565m on Thursday.
It was the fawn dog’s first run over the longer trip at Maitland - after stepping up to the 600m at The Gardens for the first time a week earlier - and he led througout to beat race favourite Head Shy by four and a quarter lengths.
