Black Magic Rose turns the corner in sizzling Winged Runner victory

By Pat McLeod

Fred Swain and wife Frances were close to tears at Albion Park on Thursday night, but this time it was because of a flood of joy.

Their diminutive flyer, Black Magic Rose, had just claimed the prestigious, listed $23,000 Winged Runner Trophy Final (520m) and more importantly had consigned several months of fears to the memory bank.

“I am really emotional with this win,” Fred Swain said after the presentation.

“We have had our problems. They were mainly as a result of a fall that she had at Albion Park (in October last year).

"She split a top molar and the one next to it right down to the root canal.

"She had to get them taken out and was on a heavy course of antibiotics.

“She is just starting to come good now.”

The fall had not only cracked Black Magic Rose’s teeth, but had sapped her confidence.

In the months following the fall, ‘Dottie’ had been a more fragile version of the robust chaser she had started out as.

As a very promising youngster she had placed in Group races and made the final of the Group 1 Brisbane Cup.

But in the wake of the fall, she became hesitant at the first bend of the Albion Park track.

Swain had seen signs of improvement, but, as he said pre-race, there were so many questions to be answered.

On Thursday night Black Magic Rose ($8) answered many of those questions favourably as she sizzled from the boxes, showed excellent early speed, navigated that first turn superbly and then led through to the finish.

The Raw Ability - Fay's Magic chaser scored by almost five lengths over a courageous Hara’s Pandora (Jemma Daley) with Special Cyndie (Cyndie Elson) third.

“She had a great start to her racing, featuring in some big races, but unfortunately that fall put a big dent in her progress,” the northern NSW-based Swain said.

“I hoped that she would jump tonight, and she did, which was good.

"She has not shown that pace for a while.

“She certainly answered a number of questions for me tonight. She has always jumped OK, but had lost that early pace … until tonight. She certainly showed it tonight.”

The Winged Runner, a bitches-only event, is named after one of Albion Park’s premier female racers, who won the Group 1 Nutrience Cup (now known as the Gold Bullion) back in 1999 and was judged Qld Greyhound of the Year in 2000.

At one stage Winged Runner held the record for the most wins at Albion Park – 32 (still the record for females).

Swain has tasted Winged Runner Trophy success before. He won it in 2021 with All Hands Off, the dog he had considered his best, until Thursday night.

He now is cautiously looking ahead as some big winter carnival races beckon.

“I think Dottie can be a Group-winning dog if she lands in front. Her run home sectionals have been really good. She can really motor home.

“She is just a little dog, but she has shown so much guts and spirit over the last few months. She is all heart.

“My wife Frances has played a big role in what we do with greyhounds. It really is a case of ‘both of us’. We do everything together.

“This has been an emotional journey … but we will get over that.”

Hara’s Pandora ($1.60) missed the start, but never gave up the chase, finishing strongly.

Young Brisbane trainer Jedda Cutlack may not have achieved a podium finish in the Winged Runner, finishing fourth (Shaye) and sixth (Tungsten Miss) in the race, however she was no stranger to the podium through the night, finishing with a double and a host of placings.

Her final tally:  

Race 1: Sishkin 2nd; Race 2: Valhalla 3^rd; Race 4: Lily Monelli 1^st; Race 5: Sorority 1^st, Sunburst 2^nd; Race 7: Showdown 2^nd.