Sprinter chasing stakes record

By Stuart Teather
PEARCEDALE greyhound sensation El Galo missed out on breaking the all-time Australian prizemoney record on Saturday night, finishing third in the Golden Easter Egg at Wentworth Park.
The result was enough to move him to second on the prizemoney list with $491,340, behind Rapid Journey ($530,995).
The Jason Thompson-trained Victorian Greyhound of the Year was the raging favourite heading into the final of the $150,000 series, ahead of NSW champion Miss Elly Mint.
At the jump the duo lived up to expectations and shot out to a two-length lead over the rest of the field.
Miss Elly Mint had the front position but heading into the first corner the pair collided, upsetting their rhythm and allowing another dog – relative outsider Dana Beatrice – to assume the front position.
The places remained the same from there on, and Dana Beatrice ran 29.70 seconds to record an upset victory, ahead of Miss Elly Mint (30.09) and El Galo (30.14).
Despite the result, Thompson remained upbeat about El Galo’s run.
“He got run off badly at the first corner,” he said. “Miss Elly Mint, she just ran him off and put him out of the race. To his credit, he battled on extremely well to run third.”
Thompson had hinted at retiring El Galo after the Easter Egg, but with the prizemoney record looming so close, he said he was considering running his dog again.
“I still haven’t made up my mind yet. He’s so close to the prizemoney record – he’s up at over $490,000 now – so we’ll think about it over the next week or so.
“The other thing is, he’s still racing very, very well. The way he’s racing he’s still probably regarded as the premier dog in the country.
“If the dog was showing signs that he was getting slower, it makes that retirement decision easier, but it makes it more difficult if the dog is flying out of the boxes and running as well as he is.”
Thompson said he had the Warrnambool and Wangaratta Cups in mind for El Galo, should he keep racing.
Should he win both, El Galo would earn another $52,000, enough to claim the all-time prizemoney record.