Mantra Lad Named December 2009 Run Of The Month
AGRA's Run of the Month for December 2009 has been awarded to outstanding Victorian sprinter stayer Mantra Lad.
In an extraordinary performance the Graeme Jose trained super star recorded a new track record over the 650 metres at the Sale on December the 15th, when he took out the Valda Clavarino Memorial in a devastating 36.71
The multi group winning all distance chaser came into the race in great form with two brilliant Free For All wins at Cranbourne. Using the run as a lead up to the rich Group 2 Sale Cup he came out humming and went straight to the lead and from that point on it was a matter of times and margins, with most interest in the record.
Mantra Lad put that question beyond doubt when he posted an equal second sectional record of 15.99 and a new first sectional record of 25 even. In an awesome display of middle distance speed his time of 36.71 lowered the old record of 37.07 by the equivalent of six lengths. It had stood since December 2006 when set by Turbo Uno in a heat of the Sale Cup.
Mantra Lad made the Sale 650 his own in December winning both his heat and the final of the Sale Cup recording 37.01 and 36.89 also both under the old record. He will next be set for the heats of the $50,000 to-the-winner Group 1 Association Cup in Sydney in January, where he gets a chance to step closer to Rapid Journey's all-time Australian prize money record of $530,995, which was set in 1998.
Mantra Lad is raced by the Martin & Fiona Hallinan he is a Red Fawn dog whelped July 2006 by Pure Octane from Al Fresco (Royal Pilgrim x Prize Dancer). Mantra Lad has won 24 of his 52 starts and has been placed on 16 occasions his current stake earnings stand at $397,365.
As usual there were some outstanding runs recorded in December with fast times on both city and country circuits all over Australia. However it is not often we witness a record smashed in the manner in which the Sale 650 record was broken, there was no much dispute in regard to the AGRA December Run of the Month.
AGRA congratulates owner Martin & Fiona Hallinan, trainer Graeme Jose and Mantra Lad on being judged the AGRA Run of the Month for December 2009. He join's last month's winner Turanza Bale, Queen Lauryn, Goodesy, Sand Burner, Mutt Lange, Forty Twenty (2) Dyna Forte, Taipan Bale, Eluthra, and the January winner Scull Murphy as this year's AGRA Runs of the Month for 2009.
The AGRA Run Of the Year is determined from the 12 runs of the month, then by a panel consisting of John Brasch (Qld), Peter O'Neil (WA), Brenton Yeats (SA), Peter Hayes (Tas), Michael Radley (NSW) and Neil Brown in Victoria. The above panelists are encouraged to enlist whoever they see fit to offer an opinion then cast their state's nomination.
The award will be made at the AGRA Awards night in Perth on Friday March 12th 2010.