Despite limited crowds the action is set to be fierce at the Grafton Greyhound Racing Club tonight

Despite limited crowds the action is set to be fierce at the Grafton Greyhound Racing Club tonight

Trainer Sonia Kempshall gets a cuddle from her greyhound Modified Trunk before his return to the track after and eight month injury.

TRADITIONALLY at this time of year, the Grafton Greyhound Racing Club is abuzz with excitement and anticipation from both local greyhound trainers and visiting trainers alike.

However, this year there is a totally different feel with the effects of COVID-19 making it near impossible to plan a racing carnival to its fullest extent.

This does not suggest the quality of entrants is any lower than expected and the club has drawn together a brilliant card of greyhound racing tonight, highlighted by two top notch top graded events over 407m and 305m along with three good heats of the Ladbrokes Switch 1-3 win series also over 305m.

One of the real shining lights in recent weeks is the form in which the brilliant Modified Trunk has returned to the track. Injury put a hold on the smart chaser's career with up to eight months erased from his racing career towards the end of 2019. However, all credit must go to husband and wife training team of Warren and Sonia Kempshall, as they have brought this son of Bekim Bale and Shanghai Lil back to the track in fine form.

Modified Trunk put the writing on the wall of a successful return to racing when he ran a fast 17.41 seconds in a stewards trial over 305m and he hasn't looked back since, winning all three of his last race starts. A feature of those wins has been his blistering early speed and there looks to be no reason why he cannot make it four from four since resuming when he steps out from box 4 in the APN Daily Examiner stakes over 407m.

He will be aided by a vacant box outside him and really it should be just bad luck that can prevent him from adding another win to his career tally of 23 wins.

Despite having her colours lowered by Modified Trunk last time they met over 305m, there can be little argument that she has proven herself to be the queen of the distance in Grafton racing as suggested by local race caller Mark Arandale, and she really does look as much of a good thing in the Ladbrokes Odds Boost stakes as Modified Trunk looks in his race.

Sitting up nicely in box 1, Push Me has strung together the impressive short course record at Grafton of 16 wins from just 26 starts at the journey and will be prohibitive odds to make it 17. Push Me is coming back from a defeat over 407 metres but that shouldn't have any effect on her winning chances as she has shown in the past that she can drop back in distance without concern and really she should be leading form start to finish in this race for trainer Ben Ellis.

In heat one of the Ladbrokes Switch series, the Brad Northfield-trained Redback Katie does look likely to start a well-supported favourite on the back of her brilliant win over 411m at Casino last Thursday afternoon.

On that occasion she ran a brilliant 8.47 first section and if she can repeat that in this race, they won't be leading her in the early stages.

Some concern for connections and supporters is her record at the track and distance of just one second placing from four appearances, however, she is racing much more consistently this preparation. She should also be assisted by He's Got Charm in box 2, which does like to race wide, so he will give her plenty of room early.

Heat two is a race with many chances but the two best boxed runners would be the Stephen Atwater trained Jet Black Beach, which has the wide running Manny Said drawn on its outside, and Darling Display, which does use a bit of the track and with her early speed she looks drawn to run a bold race.

The third and final gives Wayne Cameron a great opportunity to open his Grafton training tally with Mac Zephyr looking nicely drawn in box 1. There are a number of chances in this race as well but the inside draw looks tailor made for Mac Zephyr which did run a very nice race last start off the same drawn when narrowly beaten by Freddy's Home. However, the time which he recorded of 17.68 in getting beaten should see him with a great winning chance in this race. In that run he wasn't the best away and he can jump much better than that so it would come as no surprise if he can improve a little on the clock.

The first of twelve attractive events get underway at 6.02pm.

 

 

Greyhound trainers from around the country have been putting their dogs through their paces ahead of the July Winter Carnival at Grafton Greyhound Racing Club.

 

 

	Maxine Gleeson	The Red Fox	Manny Antonelli
Race 1	Typhoon Tim Speedy Bonus Royal Valley	Speedy Bonus El Roller Royal Valley	Typhoon Tim Royal Valley Speedy Bonus
Race 2	Bokarm Bella Double Bonus Robell Milly	Robell Milly Bokarm Bella Double Bonus	Robell Milly Double Bonus Bokarm Bonus
Race 3	Pretty Paws Redback Katie Laurie's Champ	Redback Katie Laurie's Champ Pretty Paws	Pretty Paws Laurie's Champ Redback Katie
Race 4	Chasin' Charlie Robell Roxy Kalang Beach	Kalang Beach Robell Roxy Chasin' Charlie	Kalang Beach Super Select Chasin' Charlie
Race 5	Cedar Izmir Kasatkina Payment Time	Darling Display Jet Black Beach Payment Time	Cedar Izmir Kasatkina Darling Display
Race 6	Dashing Thunder Lottie's Beach Twice As Wise	Dashing Thunder Orara Charlotte Twice As Wise	Dashing Thunder Twice As Wise Orara Charlotte
Race 7	Chuck The Rest Hazel Bonus Special Nangar	Mac Zephyr Big Bro Tango Badgers Delight	Akela Special Nangar Chuck The Rest
Race 8	Battle Speedy Lulu Mad Stan	Mad Stan Speedy Lulu Battle	Akela Speedy Lulu My Bro Bob
Race 9	Freddy's Home Shonky Dreamer Star Helen	Star Helen Shonky Dreamer Freddy's Home	Star Helen Freddy's Home Felici Beach
Race 10	Modified Trunk Sail Bye Hillbilly Blue	Sail Bye Two Points Away Shelley Valley	Modified Trunk Two Points Away Hillbilly Blue
Race 11	Push Me Kingsbrae Trevor Noela's Boy	Push Me Noela's Boy Kingsbrae Trevor	Push Me Kingsbrae Trevor Kingsbrae Jess
Race 12	Busters Dynasty Orara Ebony Aston Ute	My Mac Boy Buster's Destany McEnroe	My Mac Boy Kingsbrae Clarky Stilton Cheeky
Best Bet	Modified Trunk	Redback Katie	Akela
Each Way	Star Helen	Mad Stan	Modified Trunk

 

 

Grafton Greyhound Racing Results -Monday June 29

 

Race 1: Ladbrokes Maiden 407m

1.Bokarm Archie - Leslie Purnell $ 9.50

2.Robell Milly $ 5.00

3.Freckles Brown $ 10.00

Time: 23.40

Margins: 3 ½ Lengths x 4 ½ Lengths

Race 2: Village Green Hotel Maiden 305m

1.Winlock Pete - Wayne Cameron $ 10.00

2.Short Deuce $ 4.20

3.El Roller $ 10.00

Time 17.75

Margins 1 ½ Lengths x 2 Lengths

Race 3: Ladbrokes Switch Mixed 4/5 305m

1.Shonky Dreamer - Albert Zarb $ 5.50

2.Zulu Beat $ 9.00

3.Star Helen $ 3.20

Time: 17.86

Margins: Nose x Nose

Race 4: Clarence Valley Sheds Mixed 4/5 305m

1. Ivy Izmir - Kenneth Stains $ 3.80

2. Two Points Away $ 2.40

3. Loch It $ 51.00

Time: 23.16

Margins: 2 Lengths X 1 ½ Length

Race 5: Ladbrokes Red Dog 5th Grade Final 480m

1.Nangar Silk - Dave Irwin $ 1.45

2.Chasin' Charlie $ 9.00

3.Twice As Wise $ 12.00

Time: 23.33

Margins: 5 ¾ Lengths X 5 ½ lengths

Race 6: Westlawn Finance Grade 5 407m

1. Jimary Cricket - Malcom Ross $ 3.00

2. Payment Time $ 11.00

3. Speedy Lulu $ 3.90

Time: 23.28

Margins: 2 ½ Length x 2 ½ Lengths

Race 7: GDSC Grade 5 407m

1 Pretty Paws - John Corrigan $ 8.00

2. Jimary Jedi $ 16.00

3. Let's Win Nilsa $ 16.00

Time: 23.52

Margins: 1 length X 1 Length

Race 8: Ladbrokes Money Back Odds FFA 407m

1. Modified Trunk - Warren Kempshall $ 2.10

2. Push Me $ 2.60

3. Hillbilly Blue $ 13.00

Time: 23.05

Margins: 4 ½ Lengths X 3 ¾ Lengths

Race 9: Kankool Meats Masters 305m

1 Rapid Blaze - Trevor Rice $ 2.50

2. Rock the Road $ 6.00

3. Thanks Nelly $ 2.20

Time: 17.52

Margins: 5 ¾ Lengths x 2 ¼ Lengths

Race 10: Ladbrokes Cash In Grade 5 305m

1.Freddy's Home - Kenneth Stains $ 3.40

2. Mac Zephyr $ 8.00

3. Kasatkina $ 6.00

Time: 17.62

Margins: Head x 2 ¼ Length

Race 11: Ladbrokes Pathways Grade 5 305m

1. Jackie's Yoyo - Laurence Walker $ 7.00

2. Words Wrong $ 5.50

3. Stilton Mary $ 4.40

Time: 17.67

Margins: 1/2 Lengths x 3 ¾ Length

Race 12: Phil McLennan Earthmoving Grade 5 480m

1. Dashing Thunder - Sonia Kempshall $ 1.75

2. Mad Stan $ 7.50

3. Rosie Bonus $ 3.30

Time: 27.71

Margins: 2 Lengths x Head

 

Originally published as Despite limited crowds the action is set to be fierce at the Grafton Greyhound Racing Club tonight