CLASSIC QUINELLA: Narrabri Shire greyhounds run first and second at Gunnedah meet

The Gunnedah greyhound racing track proved to be a happy hunting ground for Narrabri Shire dogs last week when two local greyhounds were winners at TAB meetings held on Thursday and Saturday, and four more raced their way to the minor podium finishes.

The headline act was a Narrabri Shire quinella in the fifth race of the day on Thursday.

In that 340-metre grade four/five event, Sunshine Runner jumped from box five for Gwabegar trainer Eric Butler, and Fire Fly Angel jumped from box two for Wee Waa trainer Colin Anderson.

That duo jumped quickest and they established themselves as the early frontrunners before they raced home first and second, respectively.

Fire Fly Angel led the way across the first half of the race before being overtaken by Sunshine Runner when the pair entered the home straight after they came out of the turn side by side. The four-year-old Gwabegar bitch held off three fast-finishing rivals and beat Fire Fly Angel to the line by less than a length to post a winning time of 20.05.

Sunshine Runner now boasts a 25 per cent winning rate following nine victories from 36 starts. She earned $1600 in prizemoney for that win which took her total earnings into five figures.

Two-year-old Wee Waa bitch Fire Fly Angel’s second-place effort saw her claim her 11th podium finish in 22 starts.

Earlier that day, Wee Waa trainer Timothy Anderson oversaw Lagoon Lockdown place third in the first race of the day.

The three-year-old jumped from box seven in that 527-metre no grade event and finished three lengths behind the Michael Craig-trained winner Franco Fernando (box two).

In the 10th race of the 12-race program, the Butler-trained Sunshine Shadow also placed third. The four-year-old bitch jumped best from box five and led early in that 340-metre grade five event before eventually finishing six lengths back from the Michael Edwards-trained winner Lucky Ace (box two).

She has now raced to podium finishes in eight of her past 10 starts.

On Saturday, Bellata trainer Kevin Campbell travelled to a Gunnedah meeting with two greyhounds which charged home to top-two finishes.

One-year-old bitch Lagoon Camille made her debut in the first race of the day in which she jumped from box three in the 431-metre maiden event.

She placed second after racing past the finish post two-and-a-half lengths behind the Barry Yates-trained winner Apache Teepee.

Campbell’s Lagoon Dark Eyes also jumped from box three, in the 12th and final race of the day, in which he raced to his third consecutive victory. Just as he did in his 340-metre debut at Gunnedah 23 days earlier, Lagoon Dark Eyes won by seven lengths on Saturday in the 340-metre grade five event.

The one-year-old dog has now raced to three wins and two second-place finishes in the first five starts of his early but so far successful career.