Cup winner overcomes outside box

Hatrick Racecourse. Photo/File

Who ever said the eight trap was a bad draw in a greyhound track?

Both the feature races for the Wanganui Greyhound Racing Club's signature Christmas at the Races event at Hatrick Raceway on Friday night saw the greyhound in the outside trap successful.

It was a cup double for Huntly trainer Denis Schofield, who for the second year in a row had the winner in the $37,000 www.racingdogs.co.nz Spion Rose Cup final, as the fastest semifinalist, Jannik, overcame the widest trap to power home from Brighton Bullet and Just Jordana.

Schofield had trained Koko Whiz to an upset win last year in New Zealand's third-richest greyhound race at Group 1 level.

The Ben Craik-trained Just Jordana and outsider Ate To Much were the early pacemakers in the 520m dash, before Brighton Bullet took the lead heading into the final turn.

However, the field was spreading out and that gave Jannik all the space he needed.

"I thought we were home, I was confident down the back straight," said delighted handler Ingrid Archer.

"You could just see him punching and punching through.

"I just thought, 'this dog's not going to be beat'."

Watched by a large crowd of punters and Christmas party revellers, Jannik returned his backers $7.40 for a win, despite the wide draw.

"We were just pleased to be in the final, whatever you draw," said Archer.

"We've had a lot of better results from the eight trap than the one."

That outside trap also proved the golden draw in the previous event, the $13,000 Brad Canty Dash for Cash final, as Foxton's Paul Freeman and Angela Turnwald-trained Run Lacey Run lived up to her name and was never headed in the final 100m of the 305m race.

The field bunched up and Run Lacey Run pounced on the lead, cantering home to win by two lengths from another Freeman/Turnwald greyhound in outsider Need to Chill, followed by Matamata greyhound Ate Power.

The upset victory saw punters collect a tidy $14.50 for the win.