RAILWAY SPRINT FINAL
AGRC’s premier 318m race.
Although only elevated to Grp. 1 status in recent seasons, this race has always been a prestigious one to win. For decades the best short course chasers from throughout the country have targeted the event.
With this year’s heats and final now rescheduled for Sunday March 19th and Sunday March 26th, it is timely to look back at the race winners of the past couple of decades.
Aztec Keroma
Aztec Keroma
A look back to the finals
2002 – 2007.
Topping the podium in 2002 was the Peter Henley trained Bradancas, an Australian bred son of Cry Havoc, who recorded a 18.25 victory when finishing ahead of Never Time and Looney World. Winning stake money $8,910.00 for connections, The Waikato Syndicate.
2003 saw another Australian bred sprinter victorious with Stanton Bale, taking top honours for trainer Greg Pomeroy and his Australian breeder/owner the late Paul Wheeler. Although jumping from box 1, he was a relative outsider in the field and rewarded his followers with a healthy dividend. Place getters were Aston Marshal and another Wheeler bred, Cordu Bale. Six of the eight finalists were Australian bred with two NZ bred finalists being John Cleaver’s Tempest Hove and Faye Farmer’s Arnies First.
There was no race in 2004 with the final contested early January 2005. The Schofield family took out the first of their three Railway Sprint victories with China’s Fire, jumping from box eight to lead the field throughout the contest, winning by over a two-length margin from the Carol Derecourt owned and trained Kiwi Fire, with Wild Seattle, finishing third.
China’s Fire weighed just 25kgs, however in 2006 another even more diminutive chaser, again from the Schofield kennels gained top honours. Delta Belle, at just 23.7kgs, led home another highly talented bitch Aztec Keroma (27.5kgs) by two lengths. Both girls started from the squeeze boxes of six and four respectively. Cawbourne Lukey was third. Many years on Delta Belle’s grand-son Coolibah Kid, has been successful at our track in recent weeks.
After finishing runner up the previous season, Aztec Keroma, for young trainer Nathan Udy and owner Gary Harding took out the top honours in 2007. Winning from the same box as Delta Belle the year previous, she recorded a scorching to a 18.10 victory, from place getters, the Dave Fahey trained Wiselee and Commands from the Schofield kennels. Aztec Keroma had a stellar career with the blue daughter of Go Wild Teddy and Mantina recording a 35 start, 25 wins, 5 seconds race career.
Throughout the years 2002 – 2007 it was Waikato based kennels who reigned supreme on top of the dais.
Of note, all five winners were Australian bred chasers.
2008 – 2012.
Another Gale was the first of four prolific winning sprinters to take the honours during this era. A daughter of Where’s Pedro – Jennas Pride, she was Canterbury born and reared, before entering the kennels of leading trainer John McInerney, for Palmerston North based father and son Lloyd and Nigel Clark. Nigel known as ‘Sharky’ to his many mates, was a real character and a passionate racing man. A successful trainer himself, he sadly passed away from a heart attack at just 35 years of age. Her winning time was a flying 18.08secs., leading home local sprinters, Star Conquest, and Longford Annie. In all she won 62 of her 115 starts.
To score back-to-back wins in group race finals is something special. In 2009 and 2010, Hifi Allegro did just that for her trainer Brendon Cole and NSW owner Neville Robson. This combination formed a highly successful relationship for many years. The daughter of Brett Lee and Hot Treasure being just one of many highly successful chasers for them. She was an electric sprinter who loved Manukau’s 318m and Hatrick’s 305m journeys. Her first success saw a narrow win from another daughter of Brett Lee named Winsome Light, from the Schofield kennels, with Talieson Blue from the Roberts kennel finishing third. Returning in 2010, again victorious winning by a 3-length margin from another from the David Schofield team, Seaswift. Steve Clark’s, Mates Unite joining them on the podium. Hifi Allegro, also held our 318m track record of 18.02secs. for many seasons. Her impressive race record was an incredible, 88 wins from 135 starts.
The 2011 winner came from the greyhound heartland of Tokoroa. Matanuska, a handsome fawn son of Big Daddy Cool and the 2005 Auckland Cup winner Idol Appeal. He took out the final for Linda Martin, who shared in the ownership with her husband Michael. Starting from box 8, he had clear run to take the victory from the Garry Cleeve’s Know Joy, with his litter brother Cool Appeal from the Ben Craik kennels joining him on the podium. The race favourite was Hifi Allegro, she had little racing room when trying to make it a consecutive third victory in a Railway Final.
Success came to a kennel based north of the Bombay Hills in 2012. Snicko, a homebred by Big Daddy Cool and Reba Keroma, taking the honours for the Drury based Ben Craik kennels. Jumping from box 2, he led his rivals from box rise to score by a more than 6 length margin in an 18.17secs. Filling the minors were the visitors, Pretty Good, from the Jean and Dave Fahey team and Stiff, from the Foxton based Freeman and Turnwald kennels.
2013 – 2017.
Over the years there have been many plans made to import a sharp sprinter from across the Tasman to target a Railway Final victory. In 2013, one such plan tasted the fruits of success. The path to the top of the dais that year consisted of heats, semi-finals and the final. Wild Punting’s NZ debut was in the heat finishing second to favourite Zebidiah, a win in the semi saw him secure his place in the final. Exiting box 1, he was never headed, scoring from the fast finishing Know Advantage from the Cleeve kennels, with the Carolyn Henley trained Life’s A Dream third. Wild Punting was trained by the Freeman/Turnwald partnership and no doubt the result was a reward for a well-executed plan.
Twelve years after Bradanca’s win the Darfield based John McInerney kennel were victorious again. The Australian bred Sozin’s Comet, winning by a head, from another South Islander Roquette from the Craig Roberts team. Sozin’s Comet was a close relative of the 2009 – 2010 winner Hifi Allegro, and like her was a real high-class sprinter, winning 59 races in total.
The victory of Fireman’s Legacy at odds of 20/1 in 2015 did not favour the punters, however it was a pleasing to see the success for the young Te Kauwhata based, James Black/Alysa Steele partnership. Fireman’s Legacy joined their small team just six weeks prior to the final. He held of the challenge of Sozin’s Comet by just a nose, denying him back to back victories. Race favourite Little Regius from the Fahey kennels was third.
In 2005 it was David Schofield taking the training honours. In 2016 David shared the honours with another family member Andrew. A decade later it was Dennis Schofield enjoying the training honours with the Australian bred Nangar Star. After just four NSW starts, the son of Collision and Flash Fancy began his successful NZ career. From box 1, he began brilliantly to lead home our current 318m track record holder Subic Bay, with the Karen Walsh trained Country Gun third. Nangar Star, just four starts later was again victorious in the NZ Derby Final, a rare and prestigious achievement. His was raced by the Australian based Tracsan Partnership, who had a long ang very successful relationship with the Schofield kennels.
Very seldom in our country does a greyhound enter mainstream news. Once such chaser to do this was the Calum Weir trained Swimming Goat. He was a brilliant sprinter who holds the NZ record of 22 consecutive race wins, achieved between May and October of 2016. He dominated the 295m trip at his home track of Addington. Starting as the race favourite, he led throughout to score by a three-length margin from the Cole kennels Allegro Lass, (a daughter of Hifi Allegro) and the Craik team’s talented Simple and Plain. He was owned by Allan Lang who hails from the Northern Rivers of NSW. The region is also the home of Neville Robson the owner/breeder of Hifi Allegro. Later in the year Swimming Goat added The Galaxy Final to his impressive race record
2018 – 2022.
The master trainer Ray Adcock’s bonny Rosa Tee win in 2018, made it consecutive wins for Canterbury based conditioners. The 26kg daughter of Fabregas and Mini’s Fantasy, scoring a three-length victory from two chasers at much longer odds. Alex Attack from the Udy/Cottam team and Obstinatus, trained by Ron O’Regan. Rosa Tee has taken her high-quality race track talents equally to the breeding pen, producing the likes of, Master Porthos (a Railway finalist), Penalty Drop and the high promising youngster Big Daddy.
The locals were back to fore again in 2019, with the Drury based Ben Craik kennels preparing Just One Smile, to take top honours. Jumping from box 3, at odds of more than $20/1, the homebred daughter of Melbourne Cup winner El Grand Senor and Justa Jordana took the final win ahead of another two homebred talented chasers from the Cole Team, Bigtime Wendle and Bigtime Pete. Like the previous season’s winner, Just One Smile has become a real quality producer in the breeding pen. Her first two litters producing the likes of, Wheels On Fire, You Ready Boots, Ten After Four and Queen Nancy.
After having a podium finisher two seasons prior, the Te Kauwhata based partnership of Jared Udy and Neisy Cottam’s tough and highly talented Buddy Boom, topped the podium in 2020, leading home Super Over Drama, for the Steve and Bonny Evans partnership and Trophy Trophy from the Angela Turnwald kennels. Earlier in the season, the son of Captain Coutts (himself a Railway finalist) and the unraced La Cigale, travelled to Addington and won the CGC’s premier sprint the 295m Galaxy. These two Grp. 1 wins, plus a host of others saw him rewarded with the NZ Greyhound of the Year honours. He was the talisman of a very successful litter.
Buddy Boom qualified in his heat to defend his title in 2021, taking on his adversary in many sprint finals, Trojan Hoarse. Jumping from box 7 ‘Buddy’ was electric over the first sectional, posting a 4.47secs. Right behind him exiting from box 5 was Trojan Hoarse, from the Lisa Cole team. After a tooth and nail battle in the home straight, Trojan Hoarse snatched the win by the narrow margin of just a head. A deserved victory for the son of Fernando Bale and Ocotillo, who ended his stellar race career with 69 wins from 157 starts. He like Nangar Star completed the rare NZ Derby/ Railway Final double. Recently registered for use at stud, he hopefully will leave many pups with his sheer speed and will to win.
There is an old adage, ‘you can’t win a race sitting in a kennel’. This was perhaps the thinking of Thayne Green when nominating his C4 assessed chaser Golden Fern, for a heat of the Railway. He also nominated him for a grade race at Cambridge just three days before the Railway Final. In his heat he qualified for the final by running second, just a neck behind Wild Kiwi. On the Thursday he finished third at Cambridge. Come the following Sunday’s final, jumping from box 3, he made a moderate beginning before gaining a clear passage through the field to take victory at odds of $27/1. Joining him on the podium were the Lisa Cole trained Bigtime Prada and Portland Wonder from the Craik kennels. Due to Thayne’s long-term dedicated commitment to the administration of our club and code, he is honoured with a life membership of the AGRC. As a trainer he has had many group victories over the years, however this was his first Railway Final victory.
2023 RAILWAY SPRINT FOR NZ BREDS.
It took until 2011 for a NZ bred chaser to win a Railway Sprint Final. The Martin family, from the greyhound heartland that is Tokoroa, took the honours with Matanuska, a prolific 56 race winning son of Big Daddy Cool and 2005 Auckland Cup winner Idol Appeal. His win paved the way for Snicko the following year, Rosa Tee 2018, Just One Smile 2019, Buddy Boom 2020 ( his sire Captain Coutts was NZ bred), and Trojan Hoarse 2021.
This year’s winner Up Your Quota, is a son of the Australian bred parents Kilty Lad and Botany Downs. She was a winner of 18 races, raced by Roy and Karen Thomson from Phil Green’s kennels, together with her litter brother, the 13 race winner Botany Junction.
Up Your Quota, currently an 11-race winner, is a member of her successful third litter, that includes Calf King, a 22-race winner. The litter was bred by Phil and adding to the success is the fact that Phil was responsible for the importation of Kilty Lad’s Frozen semen to NZ. He generously made his semen available to other breeders who also have had great success with his progeny. He has proved to be a sire that generates both pace and chase.
Congratulations to all involved in the respective pathways to victory for this fine New Zealand bred chaser.
