By TERRY WILSON
THERE was no way the social distancing rules in place as coronavirus wreaked havoc around the globe were going to stop a group of novice greyhound lovers having their day in the sun.
When Spritely Maiden won a, well, Maiden at Capalaba recently a group of greyhound-owning newcomers celebrated big time, albeit not together under the anti-socialising laws in place.
In a feel-good story, 11 male and female enthusiasts cheered home Spritely Maiden to victory although none of the owners could be on track to sample what it was like to see their charge surge to victory.
Instead, the members of the Legs For Eleven syndicate had to sit at home, watching the 366m scamper unfold on SKY Channel, to see their now favourite canine land the prize.
They could not be at the track but they definitely had an interest because the hound was well supported on the TAB, starting at $2.30 at only its second start.
The victory for the Serena Lawrance-trained dog – yes, a dog despite the name of Spritely Maiden – gave most of the syndicate members a win at their first entry into the greyhounds.
The syndicate members are all friends and regulars (when coronavirus allowed) at the Belmont Tavern.
It was Scott Gould who had previous interests in dogs who organised things when the group expressed a desire interest to own a race dog.
“I’ve been in dogs for a while, for about 15 years, and I knew (trainer) Serena Lawrance and her husband Ron,” said Gould.
“I was getting to know the boys from the local pub, the Belmont Tavern, and they decided it was a good idea to get into the dogs for a bit of fun.
“Three of the boys work at the wharves and they have already invested in another dog.”
Gould said the inability of the owners to be on-track, because of the coronavirus laws, cost the Capalaba club ‘a motza’ in lost trade because the group attended Capelbourne Cup day last November and almost drank the place dry.
Consider, though, that under trainer-owner agreements that any prizemoney is split 50-50, and with 10 owners, the return ($1100 first money) was not great for the owners, even if they did have a few dollars on in bets.
The funny side is that every owner ordered framed photos of their champion canine hitting the winning line. They picked them up – outside the track fence – the following weekend.