While 12 greyhounds have already booked their tickets to The Thunderbolt semi-finals at Grafton in the hopes of scoring the $75,000 first prize, Taree greyhounds ran their round of the series on Wednesday with the opening heat almost producing a sensational three way dead heat.
The Thunderbolt heats action continued on Wednesday at Taree with two heats over the the 314m journey looking for four more greyhounds to qualify through to The Thunderbolt semi-finals.
The Thunderbolt race series is worth over $200,000 for the NSW short course dogs and had so far seen greyhounds qualify through heats at Wagga, Bulli, and Gosford.
Four greyhounds will progress from each track series to the semi-finals.
While it was Taree’s turn on Wednesday, heats are still left to be run at Goulburn, Richmond, Dubbo, and Grafton.
Like Gosford, Taree could only find two heats of The Thunderbolt, meaning greyhounds could win or run second to qualify through to the semi-finals.
The opening heat over the grass 314m trip produced a finish that saw all three greyhounds across the line awarded the same time, and yet the judge found enough of a margin to declare the placings without calling a dead heat.
The Melanie Mabbott-trained Tralee Revenge was the +130 favourite with online bookmakers, while Coughlin (+210) and Ice Cool Kaos (+220) were almost equal second favourites in greyhound betting.
From the box rise Tralee Revenge ‘pinged the lids’ to get a nice early lead, while Ice Cool Kaos had to use the advantage of box one to drive up and almost catch the leader on the first corner.
When Tralee Revenge cut down on Ice Cool Kaos, checking that greyhound back to fourth, it looked like the favourite would ‘get home’ for greyhound punters comfortably.
But in the shadows of the winning post Tralee Revenge ‘got the staggers’, while Coughlin and +2200 ‘bolter’ Take Me Out were powering home.
The three greyhounds hit the finishing line in unison, with the judge somehow finding a margin between each, despite the fact they were all awarded a race time of 18.22.
Coughlin took out the heat for trainer David Sanderson, while the judge found that Take Me Out had taken out Tralee Revenge for second place, and taking the second qualifying spot.
The margin between first and second, and first and third, was recorded as an identical 0.03 lengths.
Taree Thunderbolt Heat 1 (314m, Grass) – Coughlin (18.22) T: David Sanderson
Coughlin is a son of Zipping Garth and Lady Jay, trained at Kurri Kurri by David Sanderson.
The 32kg black dog has had 47 starts for 17 wins and 17 placings, earnings connections $34,830.
Coughlin will now head to Grafton where he won his maiden in 20.25 over the 350m, before finishing unplaced in the 2022 Butch Monkley Maiden final that was worth $15,000 to-the-winner.
Take Me Out (Dyna Double One x Apache Dream) is a former Tasmanian greyhound now trained by Terry Duncan, who has had the greyhound for his past six starts, producing two seconds and a third.
Take Me Out is still looking for his first win in the new kennel, but did win six short course races in Tasmanaia.
The second of the two heats produced a far more clear cut finish, and the quickest Taree Thunderbolt qualifier with race favourite Brandy Brockie winning in 18.20.
With the aid of the inside draw, Brandy Brockie was able to keep punching up to hold out early leaders, Jamie Tartt and Tralee Hannah.
Gaining the lead through the corner, the win looked a formality for the +100 favourite with greyhound betting sites, and it proved that way for punters.
Slingshot Cooper (+800) stormed home to take second place, ahead of Jamie Tartt who was +1000 in greyhound odds.
Taree Thunderbolt Heat 2 (314m, Grass) – Brandy Brockie (18.20) T: Mark Davidson
The Mark Davidson-trained Brandy Brockie is by Zambora Brockie out of Prancing Tiger, and has won four of her past six starts, including a 16.09 best-of-night 280m win at Wentworth Park.
The 28kg black bitch has started 52 times for 14 wins and 18 places earning $31,920 for connections.
She is a litter sister to 2023 Group 3 Taree Cup finalist Zambora Toger.
The Stuart Barron-trained Slingshot Cooper (High Earner x Slingshot Gypsy) has won four of 25 starts with a further 10 placings earning $9,940 in prizemoney.
Slingshot Cooper is also nominated for the Richmond Thunderbolt heats on June 9, so it will be interesting to see what New South Wales (NSW) Greyhound Welfare and Integrity Commission (GWIC) stewards and Greyhound Racing New South Wales (GRNSW) race managers now do with the greyhound.
If the greyhound were to qualify again through the Richmond heats, then there would only be 31 greyhounds contesting the Grafton semi-finals.
The 32 semi-finalists will converge on Grafton on June 18 for four semi-finals, with first and second progressing to the $75,000 to-the-winner final on June 24.
The Thunderbolt race series is worth over $200,000 for the NSW short course dogs.
Wagga greyhounds held the first round of Thunderbolt heats on Friday night that saw Talakai run a new track record.
Bulli greyhound track received enough nominations to run four heats of The Thunderbolt over 340m and the Rob Tyler-trained Wicked Cyclone qualified as the quickest of the four Bulli winners to progress.
Gosford greyhound track could only muster two heats for the series, and both heats were won by dogs trained by Robert Howard.
Rob Tyler currently leads The Thunderbolt training honours having qualified two greyhounds through the Wagga heats, and winning with Wicked Cyclone at Bulli.
Robert Howard’s Gosford double has him as second leading trainer with two Thunderbolt semi-finalists.
2023 The Thunderbolt Semi Finalists
Wagga Heats
- Talakai – T: Wayne Wilmott
- Loretta Bale – T: Ike McCorkindale
- Seely’s Queen – T: Rob Tyler
- Preston Lee – T: Rob Tyler
Gosford Heats
- Clock Off – T: Robert Howard
- Pennies Forever – T: Robert Howard
- Yeager Bullet – T: Leslie Chaytor
- Aston Roja – T: Brian Hampton
Bulli Heats
- Wicked Cyclone – T: Rob Tyler
- Coco Model – T: Tayt Corless
- Return Mac – T: Shayne Stiff
- Senorita Joy – T: Steven Sealey
Taree Heats
- Brandy Brockie – T: Mark Davidson
- Coughlin – T: David Sanderson
- Take Me Out – T: Terry Duncan
- Slingshot Cooper – T: Stuart Barron
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