It was an emotional result in the Group 2 Ladbrokes Richmond Oaks on Friday night at 88-year-old Eddie Foyle and his niece Charmaine Roberts filled the quinella in the feature event.
And they did it with sisters. Charmaine’s Sooty Keeping able to hold off Eddie’s unlucky Rema’s Amethyst who had to ease significantly on the home turn when she looked like she could run past the leaders.
While his bitch may have finished second it was an Oaks to remember for the 88-year-old. He bred the litter out of his bitch Rema’s Jade, and as he said to his niece after the race: “Maybe I should have kept this one.”
Eddie got his start in the sport six decades ago when introduced by his brother-in-law Ron Roberts, Charmaine’s father.
Together they bought a greyhound called Big Henry and he won for the pair first-up, ironically at the Richmond track.
Eddie has continued from there and bred and trained and owned a lot of dogs. When Ron passed away over three years ago, Eddie kept going. He got Charmaine to the rear this litter for him and kept three pups. Charmaine kept the other four, one being Sooty Keeping.
Sooty Keeping was as she often is not brilliantly away but she was able to work to the fence behind the leader Sweet Bee.
Up the back she looked like she would run past the leader but Sweet Bee kept finding, before Rema’s Amethyst who was camped on their backs, made a move only to baulk off the heels of the leader.
Sooty Keeping was able to get to the front swinging for home and hold off her sister who came again to grab second 1½ lengths back, with Sweet Bee a head away in third. Sooty Keeping clocked 29.37s in victory.
“When she missed the kick again, I said I'm not again,” Charmaine said. “(On the home turn) my uncle Eddie's dog, it looked like she climbed on the back of the red (Sweet Bee) and she (Sooty Keeping) was off and just kicked, so this was really good.
“This means heaps. Uncle Eddie bred them, and the mother's been desexed. She's always shown ability and to win it here … Shayne (her partner Shayne Stiff) he's originally from here, and all that sort of stuff. It is a huge thrill.”
The win completes a big few months for Charmaine who won the Group 1 National Futurity as owner of Laura Keeping In January and won the GRNSW Volunteer of the Year and the annual awards recently.
“To win that award was amazing. You know I don't do it for any accolades or anything, but to get that award, yeah, it is nice and now for her to come out and win that, with my friends here from Dubbo and so is Shayne, it’s super.”
