Wairarapa Greyhound Racing Club officials were ecstatic over the success of their TAB meeting at Solway Showgrounds on Sunday. Scorching temperatures encouraged a big crowd to enjoy a 10-race programme and betting figures were well above expectations with over $320,000 being wagered off course and a remarkable $27,000 on course. "Everything wentaccording to plan, it was brilliant," WGRC president Gary Caffell said. "The support from locals has always been outstanding but this was something special, better than we could have ever hoped for." Feature race was the final of the $10,000 New Zealand Racing Series and it was an absolute triumph for the Levin husband-and-wife training partnership of Graeme and Shirley Hayden Holmes who produced the first two runners home, Red Terror and Patty's Answer. Red Terror was at odds of 15 to one but he made the most of his inside draw, dashing out to an early lead and never looking like being headed. Veteran Patty's Answer closed to within a length of his kennelmate on the home turn but Red Terror had something in reserve when it mattered most. Third was Bigtime Guy who missed the jump and experienced traffic problems before finishing strongly. The class four and five sprinters contested the More FM 290m event and Mr Simply ran the fastest time over the shorter journey for the day there, winning by two lengths in a slick 17.09secs. He drew the awkward trap of seven but was up with the pace from the outset and had too many guns for Evamore and Hutt Park Flyer. South Island trainers Janine Jopson and Andrew McCook both had wins, Jopson with Here's Maree Now and McCook with Pango Will He, while the Udy kennels from Te Kauwhata tasted victory with Homebush King. A brace of wins were scored by Irene Moore of Levin (Sharimore and Karisamore) and Wayne and Carol Morris of Pahiatua (Scissor Sisters and Mr Simply) while Rotovegas Girl from the Freeman -Turnwald team of Foxton took out the maiden middle distance and Google Magoo, trained at Woodville by Damien Parata, came in for surprisingly solid support in a class one sprint and rewarded his supporters with an impressive win. The Wellington GRC will hold their Wing Memorial Cup meeting at Solway this coming Sunday with the Wairarapa Cup meeting being staged there on Wednesday, January 28.
