The Lad guns down the Queen
Mantra Lad claims $20,000 bounty
Mantra Lad proved himself one of the fastest greyhounds in Australia after his last
stride win in the Group 3 Shootout at Sandown Park tonight.
Click here
to see Mantra Lad win the 2008 Group 3 Shootout.
Trainer Graeme Jose was confident of his charge’s chances after drawing box 7 in the
four dog spectacular, and his confidence would have improved further when outsider One Tree Hill
($8.40) crossed to the rails, checking Queensland raider Made To Size ($6.70) and momentarily
impeding the run of favourite Queen Lauryn ($1.80).
However the interference forced Mantra Lad ($2.80) out to the centre of the track
and the National Distance Champions was last rounding the first turn.
Mantra Lad showed his great strength entering the back straight, sweeping past One
Tree Hill and Made To Size before setting off in pursuit of Queen Lauryn, who had railed strongly
to skip to a four length lead.
In an epic run to the line, Queen Lauryn drifted to the centre of the track while
Mantra Lad switched to the rails and the pair went stride for stride for the final 50 metres. As
the two greyhound gunslingers hit the line together, connections were forced to wait a few anxious
moments before Mantra Lad was awarded his first sprint title. The time of 29.86 was the best of the
night in the wet and windy conditions.
“What a great dog, it’s a dream come true,” said an emotional Jose after Mantra Lad
improved his record to 11 wins from 24 starts and over $125,000 in prizemoney.
Jose will now have to decide whether his versatile champion will contest the heats
of Australia’s richest greyhound race, the $250,000 Group 1 Schweppes Melbourne Cup, or return to
distance racing and contest the $36,000 Group 2 Bold Trease Carnival Cup. The heats of both races
will be run next Thursday night at Sandown Park, with the final to be run on Thursday 27
November.
Click here
for full results and Steward's Report for the 2008 Group 3
Shootout.
