Mike Prevails In Hotly Contested NZRS Finish
It was a blanket finish to Monday’s running of the $7,500 NZRS Novice final at the Manawatu Raceway with just nose and half head margins separating the first three finishers in the 457m event. Eventually it was the Nathan Udy trained Jay Mike who received the judge’s call confirming his victory for his breeders and owners, the Opawa Racing team.
Pictured: Monday’s Manawatu NZRS winner Jay Mike pictured here following his NZRS Novice heat second placing
Five 457m heats held the previous Monday sorted out what was a very even, competitive field being loaded away into the same traps for Monday’s decider.
The promising Big Time Elsa won the race start from the eight trap for her conditioner Lisa Cole which saw this daughter of Fernando Bale and Sweet Rubyjane setting up the initial pace.
Making good use of his kind trap one draw was Jay Mike who positioned himself handy and just in behind the pace on his favoured rails possie while Bigtime Diesel, who is a member of the July 2017 whelped Spring Gun and Serena Rose litter, also attended the early pace after jumping from trap seven for his trainers Gary and Sandra Fredrickson.
This trio of chasers drew away from the balance of the field when turning in for the long run home to slug out what was to turn into a real torrid race finish. The three greyhounds hit the line three abreast which saw judge Dick Hunt being required to intently study the race finish photo. Just last Friday the same judge declared an exceptionally rare triple dead heat for the third placing in an Otaki hosted thoroughbred race.
In this case, he had margins that he could work within Monday’s print. Jay Mike was given the verdict by a nose margin over Bigtime Diesel, while a gallant Big Time Elsa was a half head further back after 26.45s of intense chasing action.
Jay Mike is a member of the January 2017 whelped Winsome Opawa and Opawa Jay Jay litter, bred by and is raced by the Opawa Racing team comprising of Robin Wales and Graham Campbell. It was his 49th race day outing which resulted in his eighth career win. He has placed in a further 14 races with his stake earnings now sitting at $20,506 (excluding Breeders’ bonus payments). The placement of Opawa Racing bred and owned greyhounds throughout the country with various trainers continues to see them reap breeding rewards in all three racing regions.
Winsome Opawa has been a “bread and butter” sire for Opawa Racing for numerous seasons, siring a large number of race winners for them. He was a pretty handy performer on the track himself has seen by the 47 wins and 26 minor placings that trainers Dave and Jean Fahey prepared him for. Those stats yielded his breeders and owners Opawa Racing with a tidy $172,689 in career stake earnings before starting his stud career.
Monday’s NZRS Novice winner Jay Mike seen here after an earlier Addington win with Robin Wales; Jay Mike’s dad Winsome Opawa and he’s seen here with Robin Wales and co-trainer Jean Fahey after he won his debut race at the Manukau in September 2006, while his last career win was in a heat of the 2011 New Zealand Cup, pictured here with co-trainer Dave Fahey
