FULANDE gave prominent owner-breeders Peter and June Phillips cause to be optimistic about the future for the latest litter they bred on their training-breeding complex at Copping, near Port Arthur, in southern Tasmania.
Fulande made every post a winner on her way to an impressive win in a juvenile over 461 metres at Tattersall’s Park in Hobart last night.
Fulande hit the line 5-1/4 lengths clear of Swanky Blue with Sunset Solo over three lengths away third.
The well bred bitch stopped the clock at 26.44 which was a fair effort given the track had only been re-sanded three days earlier in preparation for the upcoming Hobart Thousand series.
It was her first win from nine starts but she had been the victim of bad luck and poor box draws at many of her previous outings.
Trainer Peter Phillips said Fulande has always shown ability but has taken a while to come to hand.
“This bitch has had shocking luck in a lot of her races but tonight she began beautifully, nothing got near her and she was able to show her true potential,” Phillips said.
“I’m hoping that she has spent all of her bad luck and can continue on from where she has left off tonight,” he said.
Fulande showed much more confidence at this latest outing and while she shows promise, Phillips is playing down the win.
“I think she can win a few more and possible go through her grades.”
“I don’t think she is any world beater but they can improve with age and we can only live in hope,” he said.
Fulande is one of 10 pups from the Surf Lorian-Portent litter and while she is the first to win there are high expectations of some of the others.
“Frytson ran third in the Breeders Classic at Devonport last week and is one of six that have been tried.”
“We have two untried pups and two already have been put into GAP,” he said.
Of the six of the litter to race Phillips is confident Frytson is the best and she is being trained by Debbie Cannan.
“Debbie (Cannan) is looking after Frytson and while he lacks a bit of stamina at present we are hopeful that he will get stronger with age,” Phillips said.
The Phillips’ have wound their breeding enterprise down in recent times, courtesy of June suffering a broken leg.
“We have talked about what we will do with the dogs and right at the minute we are resigned to the fact that this was the last litter to be bred by us,” Phillips said.
“In this industry you can never say never but it looks as if we will be moving on from greyhounds after a ver6y long innings,” he said.