Country Challenge Runner Profile : Montana Belle
MONTANA BELLE
(Big Daddy Cool – On The Fold)
29 (10 – 7 – 4)
Owner/Trainer: Gregory Board
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Country Challenge Road Trip
- Moree – 1st
- Bathurst – 8th
- Temora – Heats
- Forbes – 3rd
- Coonamble – 1st
- Tamworth – 1st
- Mudgee – 5th
- Broken Hill – 2nd
Final Position: 2nd (42 points)
Three finals victories and two finals placings were almost enough to propel Montana Belle to the overall GRNSW Country Challenge series winner. It was only the gallivanting Token Mulwee, whose early lead of 24 points before Montana Belle's Country Challenge campaign had begun, that proved to be the ultimate difference.
A win near the border in the Moree final began Belle's campaign off on the right foot but it wasn't until five months later that the little pocket rocket started to enter Country Challenge calculations.
After running a close second in her heat at Coonamble, she put paid to her opposition in the final when even money favourite and backed this up at Tamworth to quickly climb the series leader board. Token Mulwee and Joanne Russell now had a greyhound breathing down their necks that was in form, while old Token was starting to struggle to make finals and gain valuable points.
After an unsuccessful attempt at Mudgee, Gregory Board packed the van and joined the throng heading to the penultimate Country Challenge event at Broken Hill. Running a close second to Future Fund lifted Montana Belle to the top of the leader board and meant Token Mulwee, who failed to gain any points at Broken Hill had to qualify for the final at Kempsey to have any chance of winning the series.
Like a movie script, Token managed to save his best for last, winning his heat and running third in the final at Kempsey to end Montana Belle's brief reign as series leader and win the GRNSW Country Challenge.
Bred out of a litter that has also produced Richmond 535 metre track record holder Western Land, Montana Belle had the right upbringings to be a crack sprinter with his sire Big Daddy Cool one of the quickest to have graced a track in recent memory.
The smallest greyhound in the field, Montana Belle certainly has the tools needed to be the Showdown winner and rectify her heartbreaking series second placing.