Fast dogs continue to emerge year in and year out. One such star I remember well was Just The Best. He was a sensation an early injury cut short what might have been. He was kenneled at my place for his two Sandown appearances (I kept the Kennel Tickets as only I would) with my good friend Queenslander Paul Felgate. The likeable Electrician was a wonderful contributor and sponsor to Greyhound Racing in his home state. If you need to remember how good Just The Best was as both a race dog and sire here is his story.
JUST THE BEST – Fawn Dog January 1997 Credibility x Flying Amy.
His Sire: CREDIBILITY – Acknowledged as a Champion Sire , his bloodlines are keenly sought, due to their ability to produce great race dogs such as Faithful Hawk & Ballistic Jet plus broodbitches capable of excellent racing careers and the ability to reproduce the famous lines in their progeny Queensland Greyhound Of The Year in 1994 & 1995.
His Dam: FLYING AMY – A Legend in Australian Greyhound Racing and initial HALL OF FAME Inductee. Track record breaker (at least 7 records) won 41 races from 53 starts & $353,000 prizemoney. A multiple Group and Feature race winner, Flying Amy was also Queensland Greyhound Of The Year in 1994 & 1995.
Group 1 success evaded him due to a career-ending injury in the Albion Park Final of the Coca-Cola Cup, after taking on the best sprinters in Australia in winning his heat in rerunning sub 30 seconds, winning by 4 lengths in 29.90.
His brilliant pace brought his combined winning margins to an incredible 106 lengths. A staggering average of 11 3/4 Lengths every time he won.
JUST THE BEST 15 starts for 9 wins & 3 placings Won Vince Curry Memorial Final – by a mere 14 lengths – recording 29.76, after his heat win in 29.88 by 17 lengths, quarter-final win by 18 lengths in 29.76, just outside the long-standing record of 29.69, and semi-final by 19 1/2 lengths. Won Albion Park 29.97 & 29.78. Steward’s trialled at Sandown in 29.62, breaking Tenthill Doll’s track record, before running 29.80 in race conditions.
The only greyhound to run faster at Albion Park than Just The Best at the time was Flying Amy (his dam).
JUST THE BEST’S sons and daughters made amends for their sire, to name some of his outstanding progeny. Group winning son being ELITE STATE, Winner of National Sprint Championship at Angle Park taking on the top echelon of greyhounds from every state in Australia. JUST THE BEST’s ability to throw his pace into his stock was never more clearly evident.
JUST THE BEST had Seven Group 1 Winners in 2003 and a total of 21 Group winners. In December Big Daddy Cool broke Meadows Record .
Starting 2004 as he left off 2003 – Just The Best progeny firing on all eight cylinders BIG DADDY COOL wins the Group 1 Silver Chief Final in Track Record Time of 29.61 at The Meadows – First Group 1 of the Year. In April BOGIE LEIGH Won the Group 1 Australian Cup at The Meadows. Then won the Group 1 Golden Easter Egg.
In June Surf Lorian won the Peter Mosman Classic at Wentworth Park, going through the series undefeated.
Just The Best sired 2993 offspring of which 327 11% raced in feature events. Together with the above mentioned some stars that come to mine are Waterview Star, Miss Spicy Bounty Lass and Scottish Express there plenty of others.
