Gramauldi Upsets Night of Stars Field
- GGP veteran holds off all challengers in Night of Stars XVIII -
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A huge break and solid run to the first turn was the recipe for success on Saturday, as LQK Kennel’s Gramauldi captured the 18th running of the National Night of Stars. The Night of Stars is a bi-annual event, which highlights seventeen of the best greyhound tracks nationwide, and once again was a huge success. The American Greyhound Track Operators Association sponsored simulcast race card is a charity event with the proceeds donated to greyhound adoption groups around the country.
The Gulf Greyhound Park contribution to the Night of Stars XVIII happened in the fourteenth race and it was worth the price of admission. The handpicked hotbox race featured some of the best sprinters on the Gulf Coast of Texas, and the promise for a great race became reality at about 10:37 CST.
The Night of Stars field was one of the best hotbox races drawn together in quite sometime. It featured future All-American, Bob’s Skeet, 2006 Texas Fall Champ, Bob’s Laural, and 2005 Texas Round-up Champ, San Tan Jackpot; just to name a few. There were lots of big name competitors with plenty of credentials; however, it was the little female Gramauldi, who would shine on the big stage tonight.
As the box broke for the NOS 14th race, it was all Gramauldi, out like a bullet. The 3-1/2 year old black female out of Craigie Whistler and Gable Scarlet, known for her blazing early speed, had the field just where she wanted them, behind her. With the rest of the participants gaining ground as they passed the tote board, most wondered if Gramauldi would lose her advantage by the stretch, as she had done in last week’s Texas Fall Sprint Championship. “I thought that she was setting a nice pace, but Bob’s Skeet was beginning to gain ground and looked as though he would come and get here,” said Jenny Oakley, GGP Chartwriter. “The little girl showed some guts as she held off the field and actually ran away to the finish line.”
Gamauldi won by a one-length margin and ran a 30.60 over the 550-yard course. This win marks only the second time in 2006, that a Stokes-LaRosa greyhound was kept out of the winner’s circle in a stakes race or hotbox. Pat Dalton’s Too Late won the Summer Slugfest earlier in the year, which was the first.
The rest of the field ran as follows: Seegold Hallmark (2nd), Bob’s Skeet (3rd), Bob’s Laural (4th), DLT Pure Country (5th), Too Late (6th), Swagger Stick (7th), and San Tan Jackpot (8th). |
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| For more information on this, or any greyhound news, contact Gulf Greyhound Park at 1-800-275-2946 or log on to the track's website at http://www.gulfgreyhound.com. |
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