Lagana Dominates Gawler Meeting With Trophy And Track Record

Tony Lagana had a remarkable day at Tuesday afternoon, when he not only took out the feature event of the programme, but followed it with a in the very next race.

Avid , known as a 400-metre specialist, came into the fast-class race with hat-trick of wins over his favourite distance, and was sent out as a $1.30 hotpot in race nine of the afternoon.

However despite the 25 previous victories he’d recorded over the short course trip, none were as fast as the 22.27 performance he handed in on this occasion, eclipsing the 22.34 mark that Where’s Pancho and Cash Or Credit had been sharing.

From box four, the 26kg chaser came out running and found no trouble getting around the tricky first bend, before cruising to a five length victory.

It feels like he’s been around for years and years, but the blazing brindle speedster is actually a Feb 2011 whelping, having had 81 starts in a career that now boasts an impressive 37 wins and 21 placings.

His littermate Fire Tyson, who also gives the impression he is a veteran of the S.A racing scene, also showed on Tuesday that he is still at the peak of his powers after 74 starts.

The ultra-consistent chaser also resides at the Gawler River kennel, and has been a brilliant money spinner since starting his racing career in July 2012.

Without any lengthy spells, the dashing son of and Avid Willow has remained at the highest level of racing for well over 12 months, having now racked up over $100,000 in stake earnings courtesy of 32 wins. However unlike Avid Tyson, all but of one those successes have come over the two-turn sprint trips of and Gawler.

The most recent of those came when from his favourite box eight when he was able to lead all the way against a top-class field to take out the day’s feature event.

As was reported last week, two heats of the Gawler South Bakery Free-For-All Cup series meant that eight dogs were left standing to race off around the 531-metre showgrounds circuit.

Depsite ‘s Emerley Lover coming into the race in white-hot form and a quicker heat time, Fire Tyson was still to be sent out as the punters’ pick at $2.50, with Emerley Lover at $2.70 from box three. As it was unlikely that Fire Tyson would crash left at box rise, Chemical Maker was also specked from box seven, and at $4.90 it gave the Murray camp a genuine two-pronged attack on the race.

But as much as the race could be picked apart and analysed, the only thing that mattered in the end was that Fire Tyson stayed out of trouble around the first bend, beginning beautifully and crossing the field in a 3.20 first split. Reserve runner, Cacia Bale had pinged out from the six-box, and while it looked like it might be a tough battle for the lead, eventually the favourite was too speedy and a nice break down the back.

Emerley Lover wasn’t expected to fire out of the boxes, and instead had used its customary mid-race pace to work up amongst the chasing duo, along with Kenso Karoo, who was taking a prominent spot in the run.

However they never realistically looked like catching Fire Tyson, who ran out a length and a half winner over Kenso Karoo, who added value to the trifecta. Chemical Maker grabbed third, ahead of Emerley Lover who would leave without a pay for only the second time in ten runs, with the hot streak going since November.

Time for the race was an impressive 30.65, almost two lengths faster than the winners’ previous run, but still some distance from his amazing PB of 30.44

It meant not only a trophy and $2,550 first prize, but also that two of his 100% rates remain in tact. Fire Tyson’s box eight record now goes to three wins and five placings from all eight starts, with the track/distance column now reading as five wins and six placings from eleven starts.

The phenomenal runs by both dogs underline a brilliant training feat, and two great careers that appear far from over, with the litter turning three years of age last month.

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