Gosford Cup the biggest win of Miss Elly Mint’s grand career
ON January 6 2009 NSW sprinter Miss Elly Mint (Elite State x Indigo Mint) recorded the biggest victory, in terms of prize money, throughout her impressive career when she took out the Gosford Cup.
The white and blue brindle bitch led all the way from box three to defeat Hendrix by three lengths and set a new race record time of 29.93 for the 515m trip, clipping 2/100ths from the previous mark set two years earlier by Prey For Mercy.
The Robert Smith-trained speedster collected $25,000 for her victory in the Group 2 event, in what would be easily the biggest payday of her career.
It also meant she had won her previous 13 races in a row, and the Australian all-TAB win sequence record of 15 on end, held jointly by South Australian champion Kate's A Scandal (set in 1981) and Tasmanian superstar True Vintage (set in 1988), was in her sights.
The Gosford Cup win also took her record over 515m at that track to five wins from five starts.
Whelped in April 2005, Miss Elly Mint had begun her career in fine fashion in November 2006 with decisive victories over 515m at the Gardens over future stars Orphan Point and Mandagery Man in the heats and final of the Mega Maiden series. Her win in the final netted her connections $15,000, her largest victory prior to her Gosford Cup victory over two years later.
Robert Smith didn't push Miss Elly Mint too hard in the early days, preferring to run her through the grades, primarily at the Gardens.
Of her first 10 starts, Miss Elly Mint raced nine times at the Gardens for six wins and three placings and also successfully debuted over 515m at Gosford.
Her first Wentworth Park start came in March 2007, but after leading most of the way she faded to be beaten two lengths into fourth place behind Flash Tracker.
Miss Elly Mint did not race again for almost eight months, resuming to win a pair of victories at The Gardens in November 2007 followed by a couple of placings.
Back to Wentworth Park she came and again she led almost everywhere but on the post, finishing second in a mixed grade event behind Dancing Rahtee, before closing out 2007 with two more wins at The Gardens.
She began 2008 by winning six of her first seven starts, including two at Wentworth Park, before running into a series of 17 races between April and October where she recorded just five wins and four placings, having appeared to have lost her early speed in many of those races.
Among her victories was the Black Top Consolation at The Gardens, while her kennelmate Lochinvar Prada took out the Black Top.
On October 22, Miss Elly Mint scored an all the way win at The Gardens, and followed that run with all the way wins at Gosford and Wentworth Park. With her box manners back up to scratch the brilliant sprinter went on to win a further nine in a row, including a heat of the Gosford Cup, to close out 2008 with 12 successive wins.
Naturally, Miss Elly Mint was one of three candidates for NSW Greyhound of the Year, alongside Mandagery Man and Miagi, missing out to the latter.
Win number 13 came in the Gosford Cup final to start 2009 and Miss Elly Mint went on to score at Wentworth Park on January 12 and equal the Australian all-TAB record just four days later, at The Gardens.
The champion set a new all-TAB record on February 7, winning a Free For All at Wentworth Park by three lengths in 29.96.
The sequence of 16 on end (and eight in a row at Wentworth Park) came to an abrupt end a week later when Miss Elly Mint could only run fourth behind Spell Fire at Wentworth Park after being unable to reach the lead early.
Smith gave her a short break and on March 11 Miss Elly Mint resumed at The Gardens and won easily over 413m in a heat of the Novacastrian. She repeated the dose a week later to take out the $2,000-to-the-winner Novacastrian final.
After winning over 400m at Gosford, Miss Elly Mint returned to Wentworth Park and scored two wins on end at headquarters in a heat and semi-final of the Group 1 Golden Easter Egg to make it five wins on end and 21 of her previous 22 starts, a remarkable effort by any standard.
The Golden Easter Egg final was her pinnacle as far as major races were concerned and she did well, being beaten for early speed by the Victorian star El Galo before clawing her way ahead of that greyhound only to be overtaken by the smart Dana Beatrice. Nonetheless, Miss Elly Mint battled on and held second place behind Dana Beatrice with El Galo third. Her second-place prize money of $37,500 became her biggest payday.
Miss Elly Mint ended her career on April 23 2009, winning by almost seven lengths over 400m at Maitland, her first and only start on the track.
Miss Elly Mint finished her career having raced 66 times between 2006 and 2009 for 44 wins, seven seconds and five thirds, earning $200,240 in prize money.
She only competed on four tracks, winning 18 of 25 outings over 515m at the Gardens as well as five of eight starts over 413m there. She won 14 of 24 races at Wentworth Park and was undefeated in five starts at Gosford over 515m. Her record out of boxes five, six and seven was exemplary: totalling 16 starts for 12 wins and four placings.
They are going to put restrictions on breeding with bitches, having to win so many races at a certain level , please can someone tell me how successful the Miss Elly was as a brood bitch and how many of her pups where group winners like their mum ?