Galactic Athena Out Of This World

TRAINER Steve Bartholomew celebrated a hometown victory in Sunday's Listed Mount Gambier Cup with exciting juvenile Galactic Athena, running down race favourite Slingshot Hammer in a thrilling finish to the $15,000 to-the-winner feature.

"I've been trying to win the race for 39 years so it was nice to get one finally in the bag," declared a proud Bartholomew in the aftermath of Sunday's victory.

Landing Sunday's Cup at just 20 months of age, Galactic Athena, a daughter of Paddy Whacker and Galactic Rumball, has won four of her six appearances, the other two outings resulting in minor placings.

Watch Galactic Athena's Cup victory here

"She's pretty special, well we think she is," added 59 year old Bartholomew who resides about five minutes outside Mount Gambier in the suburb of Worrolong.

"I've been racing dogs with her owner Chucky (Robert Chuck) for a long time – he breeds them and I train them and we always thought this bitch would be something pretty good.

“There's 31 kilos of her and she's always had a beautiful temperament. She broke in well but there's a dog in the litter, Galactic Zeus, that broke in better, he's 38 kilos so we've had to take him along slowly, he's still a few weeks away I'd say."

Heading into Sunday's final on the strength of her 29.58 heat success, the 20-month old sprinter trailed race leader and favourite Slingshot Hammer for the majority of the 512 metre journey before sprouting wings late, recording a half-length victory in 29.43.

"Half way down the back I thought I was a chance of getting him (Slingshot Hammer) but when they went past us he was still going well, my bitch's last section in the heats was phenomenal so I knew I was still a chance," added Bartholomew.

"It's such a big thrill to win the cup, as I said I've been trying for 39 years now. I actually handled the first ever winner for my mother-in law. We celebrated a bit last night going out for tea and a few beers. It was great, you have to enjoy it.”

Now in the enviable position of needing to identify some of the richer races on the offing for his prodigious talent, Bartholomew was toying with the idea of heading to Sandown this Thursday for a tilt at the lucrative Launching Pad series.

"We were hoping to go to the Launching Pad with her this week but there's no more tickets available sadly. We'll look at the Warrnambool Cup with her now in a few weeks time, she's still very young and we don't want to over tax her. We'll just pick out some races and wrap her up in cotton wool as she matures.

"She's pulled up great from Sunday's run, she's bouncing around like crazy today (Monday) you wouldn't have even known she's gone around to tell you the truth."

Sunday's Mount Gambier program was a memorable one for Robert Chuck, not only laying claim to Galactic Athena's Cup victory but also Galactic Titan's maiden final success, remaining undefeated after two starts.

"The whole litter can run," said Bartholomew.

"The dam has been desexed actually and is off to the GAP program would you believe. You never know with these things do you?"

* Pics Courtesy David Lewis, Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club