USUALLY a poor start over the 307 metre distance at Kennerson Park will rule a greyhound out of contention but if it has the class of Red Azalea then those winning hopes shouldn't be dashed.
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That's what Amanda Ginn's greyhound proved on Monday when she managed to find a way through the pack to win the Race Sponsorship Available Pace.
Better yet, Red Azalea ($1.60 favourite) managed her comeback effort from a challenging box four start.
Red Azalea ended up winning in a quick time of 17.65, just four hundredths shy of her best performance at the Bathurst track, and two lengths clear of runner-up See Me Now ($7.50).
Ginn didn't have the highest of hopes for her well-backed duo of Red Azalea and Durama Daisy when the both failed to produce their usual superb starts.
"Both dogs missed the kick today and they usually fly around here so I'm not sure what happened there," the Cudal-based trainer said.
"She's a good girl when she wants to be. She likes Bathurst and she likes Dubbo so we'll keep her around here to see if she can keep winning and keep her confidence up."
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Race outsider Opal King was the best away, from box three, while outsider starters See Me Now and Chaos Kid got out strongly.
Durama Daisy missed the start by a full length.
Red Azalea was in danger of being squeezed out of the action by Opal King and Platinum Action but she showed an excellent burst across the back straight to break through the pair.
Both dogs missed the kick today and they usually fly around here.
- Amanda Ginn
As Opal King faded away Red Azalea's next mission was to swoop down the inside of See Me Now, who had come across quickly to the rail from box eight.
See Me Now was able to match the pace until the midpoint of the turn but from that point on the race belonged to Red Azalea.