Excellent Coursing At Healesville
What a great day!
With the improvements finished at the Healesville complex, the sun shining, a light breeze, the day was perfect.
Our nominations may have been down but that gave us the opportunity to do something different. Four events were made up of the dogs defeated in the first round. So we ended up with 11 finals.
There were some outstanding courses by dogs that raced at Healesville the day prior and then fronted up again at a coursing meeting. Hard, many trainers and owners may think! But no, not really these are race dogs and that's what they've been trained to do.
Any greyhounds that have performed at coursing meetings on a regular basis developed the stamina to course two to three times in a day and the greyhounds can do this on consecutive days, as they will at the Waterloo Cup. This classic coursing event is a test of speed and endurance.
To “kick off” the day the J Schmolling Memorial was won by Voodoo Oak, who just loves Healesville. This was the first of three winners for the Collyer clan from East Coburg. Their other winners were On My Behalf and Pure Tonic who both carried their winning form from Werribee's meeting last week. It's always pleasing to see Father and Daughter at our meetings.
The runner up in the J Schmolling was Carol and John Westerlo's Storm Fury. Geoffy for Steven Burke was runner up to On My Behalf and George Minguy's One More Ruby was runner up to Pure Tonic.
The father and son team of Ken & Matthew Height of Toora Tiger fame are getting their team ready for the Waterloo Cup and with a winner in Credit Cruncher and two runners up in Ice Tiger and Big Rose the plans look like they are on track.
Both Linda Bannan and partner Gary Robinson were kept busy all day with Harry Haulage successful in his event and Higher being a runner up. Russell McRae's Newhaven improved on his last start runner up with his maiden victory.
Peter Reinders had success with his puppy Gold Rush Max, who was run out in the first round of the Derby and hasn't looked back since with a stellar performance in the All Aged Stake.
Exhilaration also coursed well winning the maiden consolation event for Peter. Telephone Cilla was runner up in the All Aged Stake for Bert Borschmann. John Donaldson's Finn O'Sullivan was runner up in the maiden consolation. S. Meyland's Megan defeated P. Triaca's Stately Phoenix in the All Aged consolation and Agent Cyril made a good account of himself in the Puppy Consolation for Des Dooley from Maffra when he defeated Maree Barber's Piece Of Work.
Geoff Villinger's Head Barista defeated Higher in the consolation event for he greyhounds defeated in the first round of the J. Schmolling Memorial.
At this point I would like to thank all the personnel and volunteers at Healesville, they have conducted two successful meetings of their own and one for both Charlton and Melton. Your assistance has been appreciated. When you work as one, so much more can be achieved.
The next meeting is our final meeting for the 2009 season to be conducted at Longwood Coursing Club where we will celebrate the 118 running of the Victorian Waterloo Cup.
The first Waterloo Cup was conducted in Victoria in 1873. One year before the Port Melbourne Football Club was established, even before the world famous footrace of the Stawell Gift commenced.
If you haven't been to a Waterloo Cup meeting, I can give an assurance that both the National Coursing Association of Victoria and the Longwood Coursing Club are working very hard to ensure a successful meeting. The “Waterloo” is that classic that everyone wants to win.
Heather Villinger
NCAV – Secretary.