Cheetah Zorro Responds To Pursell Polish
Bombastic Shiraz bitch Cheetah Zorro continued on her winning way at the Devonport Raceway on Tuesday afternoon by winning the $4,340 Betfair Distance Championship (580 metres) in brilliant fashion.
The race unfolded exactly as most pundits had predicted, with Cheetah Zorro and the Shane Whitney prepared Silent Giggle fighting tooth and nail in the lane, until the former prevailed by a length in the time of 33.42.
The previous week both chasers had won their heats of the feature, with Silent Giggle recording a time of 33.48 and Cheetah Zorro 33.51.
Since the Brighton based Pursell, a former harness racing participant, decided to pursue a career in greyhound racing, he has proven to be a great success.
Cheetah Zorro, a daughter of the former top stayer Fallen Zorro, has now won nine races in his care including two at The Meadows.
The bitch is raced by prolific breeder Barry Heawood and Col Garity and will now contest the Mitsubishi Autumn Distance Medley Series to be conducted at the Tote Racing Centre in March.
“Cheetah Zorro has been very good to me, in fact she has only been unplaced on a couple of occasions since I started with her, which is very pleasing,” the trainer explained on Tuesday.
Pursell's wife Lynne was also seen in the winner's circle on Tuesday as the owner of Just Working, which prevailed in the Dowling McCarthy Tyres Grade 2 (452 metres).
By Run The Risk, he atoned for previous placings by running on strongly in the concluding stages and scoring by two metres in the time of 26.21.
“Lynne purchased him from Sydney several months ago and he won for her on debut in Hobart, but has struggled since,” Pursell explained.
“Now that he has broken through again we are keeping our fingers crossed that he will go on with it.”
Meanwhile Mount Direction trainer Donna Goodluck upset a confident plunge on Penny's Angel by winning the Where Better Bettors Bet Invitation (452 metres) at Tuesday's NWGRC meeting with Millie Grace.
A recent addition to the Shane Whitney kennel, Penny's Angel looked all over a winner on straightening, but was run down by Millie Grace in the shadows of the post.
The daughter of Paddy's Flame recorded a time of 26.00 in winning the event by a whisker and paying the good dividend of $9.60.
She has now won 12 of 44 lifetime outings and stakes of in excess of $25,000 for connections Karleen Cuthbertson and Sallyanne Wilson.
Next month will see the NWGRC conduct the Reg and Aileen Ivory Memorial Classic Series (452 metres), to be concluded on March 12 with a final carrying stake money of $4,000 to the winner.