Eric Butler-trained Sunshine Runner races to her ninth straight top three finish with Gunnedah victory

As reported in the The Courier on Thursday, April 23, Gunnedah Greyhound Racing Club was allocated four twilight TAB meetings across a four-week period as a part of Greyhound Racing NSW’s revised racing schedule amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first of those was held last Wednesday and at that meeting Gwabegar trainer Eric Butler’s Sunshine Runner raced to victory.

Sunshine Runner, which is both owned and trained by Butler, competed in the fifth race of the evening which was a 340-metre grade five event.

The two-year-old black bitch drew the number five barrier and jumped well to establish an early lead.

Midway through the race she led comfortably but the Tyler Fleming-trained Westside Later (box one) entered the home straight hot on Sunshine Runner’s heels.

However the Gwabegar greyhound was able to get the job done, winning the race by half a length from Westside Later to earn the $1500 top prizemoney.

The victory was Sunshine Runner’s sixth in 17 career starts since she made her debut at Coonabarabran in April last year.

Since then she has also placed second six times and third once to boast a 76 per cent top three finish rate.

In her past nine starts Sunshine Runner has finished in the top three all nine times, winning five of those races.

There were also two Wee Waa-trained dogs in action in race eight. The Geoffrey Whitton-trained Robbo’s Redzone jumped from box four and finished sixth, less than a length ahead of the Timothy Anderson-trained Elite Force (box two) which ran home seventh.

The first Narrabri Shire-trained greyhound in action at Wednesday’s meeting in Gunnedah was Talmage, which placed second for Narrabri trainer Robert Hobson in race three.

That was a 340-metre NG race in which Talmage jumped from box one.

The two-year-old brindle dog always had a firm chance of winning the race after a positive start but he could not overtake the Cherie Rosier-trained Grand Wolf (box four) which won the race by a length and a quarter.

Talmage’s second-placed finish was his eighth in 40 starts. He has also won eight times at a 20 per cent win rate and has placed third eight times to finish Wednesday’s meeting with a 60 per cent top three finish rate.

In the fifth race of the evening Wee Waa trainer Colin Anderson’s first to run was Chance Amelia which jumped from box seven in what was a 431-metre grade five race.

Chance Amelia finished fifth, less than four lengths behind the Roselyn Evans-trained winner Chop Suey (box five).

Race six was also a 431-metre grade five race and it included My Lil Louie which jumped from box one for Bellata trainer Kevin Campbell.

Campbell’s only greyhound in action at the meeting finished in seventh position.

The seventh race of the evening was a 340-metre grade five event in which Butler’s Sunshine Ruby took part.

Sunshine Ruby jumped from box one and placed second, finishing three-and-a-quarter lengths behind the Jamie Bush-trained winner Disco Chook (box eight).

Also in that race was the Whitton-trained Cedar Drama which was an emergency and started from box four before running home fifth.

The ninth of the meeting’s 10 races was the last which included Narrabri Shire-trained greyhounds as two more raced for glory.

It was also 340-metre grade five race which saw the Colin Anderson-trained Oliver’s Mate (box six) and the Whitton-trained Goonaroi (box four) run home sixth and eighth respectively.