For the second year in succession Dennis and Ann Barnes made the trip up the highway from their home at Cudal to Dubbo, and returned home with an invitation to the TAB Million Dollar Chase semi-finals.
A year ago the Barnes’ took Nangar Gift to Dubbo for the Regional Final where she led all the way to win in a fast 29.56s.
On Saturday night they took Nangar Gift’s half sister Nangar Silk to Dubbo, and returned home with the same result, a berth in the semi-finals of the world’s richest greyhound race.
Doing it the same way as it was done a year earlier, Nangar Silk flew out of box six and found the fence by the first turn, racing away up the back and then holding off a late challenge from Charlie Casey to score in 29.84s.
Ann and Dennis had hoped they would qualify Nangar Silk through the Bathurst series a few weeks earlier, but in the heats of that event, she was knocked sideways on the first turn and cannoned into the running rail.
“I was a bit worried when she hit running rail down there, but we’re happy she’s back,” Ann said. “We’re very happy with that run.”
With the semi-finals now less than two weeks away, Ann said they were likely to just give Nangar Silk a slip and possibly take her to Wentworth Park for a trial before the October 9 semi-finals.
In the 2019 semis Nangar Gift was slow to jump, then checked on the first turn, losing all chance. She did come back on Grand Final night and win an event leading all the way, just not the race the Barnes’ had hoped for. Perhaps Nagar Silk can for Ann and Dennis.
Like the Barnes’, both Peter Carr and Ray Smith will vividly remember Million Dollar Chase semi-final night a year ago, and like Ann and Dennis, the pair will be there again in 2020 with Carr’s Charlie Casey and Smith’s Irinka Tessa both advancing to the semis finishing behind Nangar Silk.
Last year Carr also qualified Charlie Casey for the semis, but an injury saw him have to scratch the dog. He did however produce Charlie’s brother Jimmy Casey who had qualified for the semis out of the Dubbo Regional Final. Jimmy won his semi-final and booked a spot in the MDC Grand Final a week later.
Smith took the dog with the cult following, Feral Franky to Wentworth Park for the semi-finals, but saw his chances disappear when the dog fell on the first turn.
Like Nangar Gift, The Feral returned on MDC Grand Final night and won the Regional Reward.
Just six places now remain to be decided through the Regional Finals, at Nowra on Sunday and Maitland on Monday night.
