Trainer Graeme Jose, Mantra Lad and Sale Greyhound club president Des Dooley after winning the Sale Cup.By Gavin Staindl
CATANI greyhound trainer Graeme Jose has snared the $50,000 Group 2 Sale Cup, but not before he had to race against time to get his prized dog ready for the Boxing Day race.
Jose-trained Mantra Lad had only just recovered from a calf injury when he held off a fast-approaching Next Top Model to claim the richest country cup in Australia.
After storming out of the gates to a comfortable lead, Mantra Lad was challenged at the end by Next Top Model but held his stride to win by less than a length.
Mantra Lad injured his calf in a heat win six days prior to the Boxing Day race and could only rest and hope that his prized dog could recover in time.
“It was a race against time to get him right for the final. He injured his calf in his heat win six days earlier so I couldn’t exercise him at all during the week as he needed rest,” Jose said.
But according to Jose, it was the fighting spirit of his sprinter-stayer that helped the $1.80 favourite to victory.
“He was a bit underdone … but his heart got him over the line,” Jose said.
The $50,000 prize money awarded to the winner now boosts Mantra Lad’s total earnings to $397,365, and with another $50,000 up for grabs in the Association Cup on 16 January, Mantra Lad is positioning himself to overrun Rapid Journey, who holds Australia’s all-time prize money record with $530,995.
Mantra Lad took out the Group 2 win only days after he smashed the Sale racecourse record that was held for three years.
Awarded Australian Greyhound Racing Association’s Run of the Month award for the effort, Mantra Lad stormed past the first and second sections in record breaking time to post an overall time of 36.71, smashing the old record of 37.07 set by Turbo Uno in 2006.
The .36 time gap according to the racing association is equivalent to six lengths.
