The mighty Hector Fawley has retired to stud after a stellar all distance career. Here is how Greyhound Recorder scribe Gerard Guthrie covered the announcement. Plus some video's of the champ in action at his very best.
Hector Fawley's ‘Magical' Racing Journey Ends
AS must be the case with all good things, the Cockerell family’s fairy tale racetrack journey with Hector Fawley has come to an end.
AS must be the case with all good things, the Cockerell family's fairy tale racetrack journey with homegrown superstar Hector Fawley has come to an end.
The decision has been made to retire the reigning Victorian Greyhound of the Year, with the in-demand Group 1-winning son of super sire Bernardo and Rolanda Hooch set to embark on a hugely-anticipated stud career.
"He tore chest muscles in his last run (second at The Meadows, December 21)," Lisa Cockerell explained.
"Take nothing away from the winner, but that was the reason he stopped like he did.
"We were planning to head up to Queensland for the (G1) Golden Sands but we weren't happy with the way he was recovering and we've had so many breeders wanting straws – we've got 57 people after straws at the moment.
"He owes us nothing and it kind of felt like the right time."
Hector Fawley won 26 of his 75 starts, banking $799,775 in prizemoney, his last victory coming in trademark barnstorming fashion in the G3 Silver Bullet (525m) at The Meadows on November 4.
Named after a Minister for Magic from the Harry Potter mythology, Hector Fawley was just that – magic – for Ian and Lisa Cockerell and family.
He took the Cockerells on the ride of their greyhound racing lives, handing his proud owner/breeder/trainers their first Group 1 triumph when romping away with the 2023 Hume Cup (600m).
"It feels like a once-in-a-lifetime experience," Lisa said.
"The word I always used was surreal. It was just amazing.
"We obviously thought the world of him but he was so many peoples' favourite dog. To have other people tell us he was their favourite dog and we're thinking that's our dog!
"It wasn't just about his wins. He took us everywhere –- Perth, Adelaide, Sydney and Brisbane – and we made some really special friendships."
While widely regarded as Australia's best middle distance greyhound, Hector Fawley's most lucrative victory came as a sprinter; a stunning last-to-first effort in The Sandgroper (520m) slot race at Cannington last April.
In a performance recognised as Greyhound Clubs Australia's Run of the Year, he left an all-star cast, featuring recent Melbourne Cup victor Explicit, Big Energy, Morton et al., in his wake.
"The Hume Cup was our first big one and the Sandgroper – the way he won that – was something else!" Lisa glowed.
"I'd love to take him back over to Perth for the Sandgroper again.
"We'll keep him fit and healthy and you never know," she added, leaving the door ajar on a possible, if unlikely, racing return.
Underlining his ability to match it with the best sprinters in the land, Hector Fawley ran a close third to Schillaci in the 2023 Phoenix.
The four-time G1 finalist ran the hands off the clock at both Victorian city tracks, boasting 29.54 and 29.13 PBs at The Meadows and Sandown Park, respectively.
It comes as absolutely no surprise breeders are beating a path to Hector Fawley's door.
As fierce a chaser as you would find, possessing electrifying speed, and a wonderful pedigree that features champion Irish sire Kinloch Brae as his maternal grandsire, with his fourth generation ‘Harry Potter' dam-line producing Group performers at every turn.
While Hector Fawley's retirement leaves a massive void in the Cockerells' racing team, they are sticking to a winning formula in their quest for a replacement.
They have high hopes for two litters of nine by Hector Fawley's sire Bernardo – out of Madam Rosmerta (Kayda Shae x Rolanda Hooch) and Cornish Pixie (Walk Hard x Arabella Figg).
"If we get something half as good as ‘Stanley' we'd have to be happy!" Lisa quipped.
In Hector Fawley's notable absence, there was a ‘Group worthy' celebration at Geelong on Friday night when Ian and Lisa's daughter Morgan handled her first winner.
Morgan's memorable moment came courtesy of youngster Snitch Adams, a son of Fernando Bale and Patriot Earhart, which claimed his second win at start seven, leading all-the-way over 460m.
Paw note: For further information about Hector Fawley straws, breeders can contact Lisa Cockerell, with a stud fee to be announced in the near future. It was announced in early January he would stand at $2200.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIa_Dq6HEiY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ea7fw-Pis_U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIZYbQqh6ok
Superstar Explicit was retired after winning both the Melbourne Cup and the Phoenix in December 2024. In the most brilliant fashion he needed a bit of luck in Melbourne Cup and found it at the first turn. However in the Phoenix he was clearly the best dog in the field and blew his high quality opponents away with a masterful display of chasing speed. A master of both ventures he was unbeaten at Sandown and he won eight from 12 at the Meadows. Below are the details of both wins.
Explicit Races Into Retirement With Phoenix
By Adam Dobbin – the Greyhound Recorder.
Superstar sprinter Explicit has enshrined himself in greyhound racing folklore with a stunning victory in the Group 1 The Phoenix (525m) at The Meadows on Saturday night.
In his swansong to racing, Explicit went out with the loudest of bangs, delivering a complete all round performance to land the $1 million-to-the-winner showpiece in comprehensive fashion for trainer Jason Thompson.
The triumph sees Explicit, winner at 27 of his 37 starts and $1.9m in stakes, enter the stud ranks as a three-time Group 1 winner with his victory in The Phoenix following his Melbourne Cup heroics a fortnight ago and his Temlee success earlier in the year.
And it also capped off a remarkable 2024 for premier trainer Jason Thompson who has annexed 12 Group events including the grand slam of the Victorian sprint races, the Australian Cup (Tim Zoo), Topgun (Excavation) and Melbourne Cup-The Phoenix double with sprint king Explicit.
The Phoenix triumph also saw Thompson scale to $4.4m in prize money earnings in 2024 which sets a new Australasian record.
Directly following Explicit’s devastating The Phoenix success, an emotional Seona Thompson was full of praise for their gun sprinter who races into retirement in the most memorable of ways.
“He’s a special, special dog,” Seona Thompson beamed on Racing.com about the son of Bernardo.
“When he won the Melbourne Cup it really took some pressure off and what ever happened tonight was really a bonus.
“I haven’t said this before but Awesome Assassin was always Jason’s favourite dog, we’ve had a lot of good dogs in between, but this dog (Explicit) he just adores so much.
“To be able to share this with the Tullio family is special as well. It is amazing.”
Following the race, Thompson also heaped praise on children Luke and Holly who in recent years have become an even more integral part of the family’s ongoing success.
“Those two kids are just amazing,” Seona beamed.
“Jason and I are just so proud of them. We wouldn’t be doing this now without Luke and Holly.
“And as for my husband (Jason) I might be biased but he’s next level, I don’t think there’s been another one like him.”
Using box eight to perfection, Explicit scored by 2 ¼ lengths on the line from Smooth Plane in 29.72.
Finishing third was rank outsider Daysea’s Rory which ran the race of his brief career representing the Racing Queensland slot.
The performance evoked memories of the inaugural The Phoenix where Spotted Elk represented Queensland and finished a gallant second at bolters odds behind Wow She’s Fast.
While The Phoenix was the highlight at The Meadows on Saturday night it was the Match Race Sprint that got the blood pumping with Tim Zoo outlasting kennelmate Field Day in a thrilling 525 metre slugfest.
Tim Zoo posted 29.62 to score by half-a-length to launch a memorable night for the Thompson family.
Explicit makes Melbourne Cup statement
Superstar Explicit has stamped himself as the sport’s champion greyhound, winning the Melbourne Cup in his penultimate race start to give Team Thompson their fifth triumph in the time-honoured race.
Avoiding trouble at the first turn, Explicit looped the field and kicked clear down the back, and they could not chase the favourite down.
“I don’t know how he did it. How he whipped around them and got to the front, I can’t believe it,” Luke Thompson said.
He’d won a Temlee, but the big majors had eluded Explicit until tonight.
The Melbourne Cup was his second group 1 triumph, adding to a Ballarat Cup, a Shepparton Cup and a Great Chase final. For Team Thompson, the triumph adds to the wins of Light Of Fire (1994), Got A Moment (2012), Black Magic Opal (2013) and Aston Dee Bee (2017).
He’ll have his final start in the world’s richest greyhound race, The Phoenix, on Saturday 21 December, representing Awesome Lodge.
“This dog from day one, we knew he was a group 1 dog,” Thompson told the Racing.com broadcast.
“We knew he was a group 1 dog from the start.
“When he won the Temlee, everyone expected him to win every race from that point on, but they’re tough races to win, it doesn’t matter if you’ve got box one or eight. Anything can happen. All we wanted to see was him win a big group 1 … and he’s done it tonight. I’m just so proud of him.
“It’s what we work hard for. The Melbourne Cup just has that history and prestige to it, and so lucky to win it four times in the past, and to add a fifth one this year, just so grateful to have these unbelievable dogs.”
Kennelmate Joey The Jet finished second from West Australian raider Miss Envy, with rank outsider Buddy Monelli in fourth.
Schillaci was the hard luck story. He looked destined to lead into the first turn from box three, but Sunset Frazier was cramped for room on his heels and he tumbled down, interfering with Schillaci.
Sunset Frazier finished the race and was vetted, found to have a sore left wrist. He will be stood down from racing for seven days. Epitomize was vetted and had no apparent injury.
One of my all-time race favourites was the mighty Buka Sunset raced by Bookmaker Norm Short with his wife Mira. I recently bumped into Norm at the VBA Annual Dinner and we reminisced about the old days fondly remembering our great mate the one and only Hall of Famer the late Alec Reid. Norm bred and raced plenty of good ones all trained by the master. Alec always claimed Buka Sunset was his best which was claim no one would question. I reminded Norm of his Stud Promotion and how unique it was. Norm put up $100,000 Bonus if any of Buka Sunset’s progeny could win the 1991,92 or 1993 Australian Cup. In 1992 it almost happened when Buka Blitz came from behind and got to within a Head of the brilliant China Trip in the first of her two Cup wins. Here is a report I wrote with Buka Sunset’s stats and some pics and reports of the champ.
Brilliant West Australian sprinter Miss Envy joined some rare company after her outstanding performance to win the time-honoured Sandown Laurels on Thursday night. First run in 1964 the race has been the yard stick for bitches as over the years many of the finalists have gone to curve out brilliant careers and also make a significant mark in the breeding barn. Miss Envy became only the third bitch in history to win the Laurels and the National Sprint Championship. She joined Hall of Famers Winifred Bale after she won the Laurels in July 1982 and the National Sprint at Harold Park in 1983. The other superstar was fellow West Australian voted last weekend as the best WA Sprinter of the last 50 years the mighty Sandi’s Me Mum. She won the Laurels in July 1989 and the Sprint Championship on home soil at Cannington the same year returning to Sandown in 1990 to win the Sprint title for a second time.
As a follow up to WA's 50 Year Celebration night last Sunday. Simo has sent me some photos of the night and a list of Award winners. No surprises there. Miata Greatest Greyhound and Stayer of the 50 years. Sandi's Me Mum Greatest Sprinter. Linda Britton Greatest Trainer and the legendary Gary Wilson Greatest Personality. If there had of been a category for Administrator it would have been David Simonette. We also have a photo of the trophy presented to the first race winner David Volo on the opening night of racing at Cannington December 12th 1974. I was also wrapped to see three of my long time WA mates in the photo's Craig Evans, Peter O'neill and David Shortte.
The magnificent Miata was crowned the best to ever do it in the past half century as Greyhounds WA commemorated its 50th year by recognising the legends of the sport.
The celebration was held at the Cannington Exhibition Centre on Sunday, December 8, where the State’s top 10 best sprinting and staying dogs were unveiled.
After starting at the Cannington racetrack on December 12, 1974, the sport of greyhound racing has grown dramatically in Western Australia.
To celebrate the momentous occasion, Racing and Wagering Western Australia announced the top 10 greatest sprinting and distance greyhounds from the past 50 years – along with crowning a top dog among the greats.
That honour went to top-line trainer Paul Stuart’s Miata, who had a storied career, taking 42 wins from 51 starts. A major career highlight for Miata came in 2012 when the star chaser became the first WA dog to claim the prestigious Australian Greyhound of the Year.
She claimed WA’s top distance runner nod, while the greatest sprinter of the half century went to Gerry O’Keefe’s Sandi’s Me Mum.
The night also recognised the legendary Linda Britton as the leading greyhound trainer and Gary Wilson as the top personality of the past 50 years, with both being the clear favourites in each category.
Event organiser and RWWA board member David Simonette said the night helped recognise champions of the sport.
“It’s about a celebration of 50 years of greyhound racing,” David said.
“It was a good way of honouring those past and present champions. It’s difficult to compare eras, but I think there is no real dispute.
“It’s a good way of celebrating it, documenting it and honouring it … and I think it’s good for those younger and new people to understand a bit about their roots and tradition.”
With the much-anticipated hugh night in Perth last Sunday (December 8th) the Greyhound Industry celebrated 50 years. The man behind the event was one of, if not the best in the business at putting a night together WA's own David Simonette. Simo had put a powerful amount of work into the night which was as expected a ripper. A man of many talents he has devoted a lifetime to the industry not only in WA but Australia wide. I loved the Recorder story by James Broadhurst on November 9, mainly because I found out a few things about Simo that I didn't know. In Adelaide in August Simo donated this book to the Sandown Museum he didn't tell where it came from, he thinks from a chap 30 years ago with a Harness background. It is English and dates to 1875 inside were these quaint Post Cards dated 1914 with a Xmas message beautifully written on them. One thing for sure it is very rare. The cover is the same design as the GA Stud Book.
Simo Reflects On 50 Years Of WA Greyhound Racing
IN the countdown to Western Australian greyhound racing's 50-year anniversary, James Broadhurst speaks to David Simonette about the industry.
On December 14, greyhound racing in WA will celebrate its 50 year anniversary.
David Simonette, known by all in the game simply as ‘Simo', has been involved in the longtails from day one and has seen the sport develop from all angles.
Simo has done it all in dogs; first as a fan, then as a kennel helper, breeder, owner, trainer and steward through to various positions within racing media and as an administrator, including a stint as the CEO of Greyhounds WA.
Simo currently serves as a director on the board of Racing and Wagering WA and Greyhounds Australasia.
James Broadhurst caught up with David Simonette for the Greyhound Recorder.
James Broadhurst: What was it that attracted you to greyhound racing?
David Simonette: As a kid I always liked horses and I would love going out to the races on my birthday. My uncle Merv Dorsa, who is still a licenced trainer today, had a couple of horses back then. One was called Silver Kirsty, I remember that. I used to go to the track with my binoculars and camera and take photos of horses and stuff like that. I wanted to be a jockey…clearly I was never going to be a jockey!
When I was about ten, this was in 1972, there was talk about greyhound racing coming to Perth and the newspapers had employed greyhound writers thinking that dogs were going to start in 72, it didn't happen until 74, but they had to basically pump out stories. So, I would read because I was sports mad, loved footy and cricket and all that. And so of course racing, so I would read the greyhound stories, they wetted my appetite and I suppose greyhounds was going to be something accessible to me and my family one day.
James Broadhurst: Cannington opened in December 1974. Were you at the track on that opening night?
David Simonette: I remember listening to the first night of racing on the radio, mum and dad and myself. We'd sit out the back, it was obviously really hot! And we did it for years. For some reason, number eight was our number and we would have 50 cents each way on number eight in every race. Interestingly enough, the first two races at Cannington were won by eights – David Volo and Loista both won from box eight. So it was a good start. I don't know what they paid but it was a good start.
James Broadhurst: Backing the eight probably didn't work out too well for you in the long run though, I guess?
David Simonette: No, I wouldn't think so. (laughs) Anyway we actually went to track the second ever night. I'm not sure why we didn't go opening night, but we went the second night and I remember walking in there and going, ‘wow!' So many people, the dogs, everything. And I knew then this is what I want to do. I just loved it all.
James Broadhurst: What was your first dog?
David Simonette: Dad bought a dog called Pea Green Soup with a couple of partners, I think through work, and the dog ended up getting trained by David Hamer. Now my mum was friends with Kathy Bonelli, who was David Hamer's partner. So that was my introduction to the Hamer kennel. And I remember running around Cannington with a home made t-shirt that had ‘Pea Green Soup' on the front. The letters were those transfer stickers you got from the shopping centre. Anyway I would parade around in that on race night.
James Broadhurst: Even back then you were into your marketing.
David Simnonette: I was! I was right into it. But yeah Pea Green Soup was very slow dog. Never won a race! (laughs) We had ownership in a few dogs after that and I starting getting hands-on experience with greyhounds at David Hamer's kennel. I used to go to David's every weekend and all school holidays and just help out with the dogs. I loved learning everything I could about the dogs. Pisces Attack was the first dog I trained. I trained her under my dad's name because I was only 15 at the time and still at school.
James Broadhurst: What was the industry like back then?
David Simonette: A lot less professional than it is these days. Industry participants still didn't like the administrators back then, so nothing's changed there! (laughs) If you had 10 to 12 in your kennel that was considered was big kennel. Most trainers only had a few dogs, maybe one or two. Anyone who was from the eastern states was considered a guru because education levels in terms of how to prepare dogs was pretty basic. So people got their knowledge by reading. There was a couple of books going around at the time and that's who people learnt to train their dogs. Then a few trainers came across like Claude Powell, who had trained in Adelaide and Dennis Calleja, who had trained in New South Wales. So when those sort of people came across, then people started learning a little bits and pieces from them but prior to that it was really book-based and trial and error. And of course they only really raced once a week.
James Broadhurst: What are the key moments that stick out to you over the past 50 years?
David Simonette: Clearly getting the licence for the go ahead to race after such a long time. I think that's one that I didn't really experience myself but I got the benefit from. I think there was so much wheeling and dealing going on. I think that was a key one. The opening of any of the new tracks was pretty big, Mandurah in ‘79 and ‘96 for Northam, I think they were all significant in their own way.
The change to from grass to sand on the tracks was significant. That was in April 1989. That was quite significant. It was a whole new way of training and a new type of dog required and everything changed then.
James Broadhurst: In what way?
David Simonette: Well, the ability to have more usage of the tracks was what it was about. The grass was great, it looked great and it raced true and you didn't get significant differences in times that you now have from one race to another because they've watered or graded the track. But in the winter months it would just have this running lane of almost sand because it had been worn down.
Another event that sticks out for me is the Perth Cup won by Wynlee Supreme (1992). That night it bucketed down, I've never seen so much rain. I was working for 6PR (a radio station) at the time and I actually got the sack for the comments I made that night and it was all about that. At that stage Cannington had a below ground lure system carriage and I was saying there's no way that this next race is going to happen because the carriage is like a submarine! The CEO at the time was Trevor Smith who also happened to be on the 6PR board and he got me removed from the station for my comments. There was nothing wrong with what I said, in fact the meeting was abandoned one race later.
James Broadhurst: Not long after you were on the board of Greyhounds WA when Smith was removed as the CEO (in 1993)…
David Simonette: That's a story for another time (laughs). That said Trevor and I did have one thing in common – we both didn't like each other very much.
James Broadhurst: You've always loved the media and publicity side of the business. What are your favourite promotions you've done with greyhounds?
David Simonette: I used to love doing the Greyhound of the Year evenings and putting on those great shows. I think I got enormous satisfaction out of people enjoying those. And they probably got bigger than probably they deserved to be but everyone loved going and those things would sell out on the first day.
All the charity stuff we did was great to be part of. I would guess that we would've raised $200,000 for cerebral palsy over the years with all the different things that we did with them. I think that was about seeing kids and families actually have real benefit because they got a special piece of equipment or whatever.
Another one that stands out is obviously the Hamish and Andy night, which I can't take credit for. (In November 2006 radio personalities Hamish and Andy raced their greyhound Fred Bassett at Cannington). It was Shelly (Pascoe, who worked on reception) that got a phone call from a radio station and that somehow led to the night. And that was the biggest crowd I've ever seen, even bigger than our Perth Cups and New Year's Eves. I'm not sure how many people we had, at least 7000 easy, we squeezed them in. It was crazy! Louise (David's wife), my kids and I stayed with Hamish and Andy all night and they signed every hat, pair of undies, poster or whatever until no-one was still there waiting for a anything to be signed. And I reckon it was like one o'clock in the morning. They were the most genuine people I've ever seen.
These days I love assisting with The Nationals and conducting the gala dinners in Perth (2019) and Melbourne (2023) were stand-outs. Next year I am helping Brisbane with their events and I am excited to work alongside Les, Luke, Jodie and Gleeso at the QGRC.
James Broadhurst: What about the famous ‘Walk on the Track' which became a tradition after the last race at Cannington on New Year's Eve? The public loved it…the track staff not so much!
David Simonette: Well that started by total accident. I'm not sure what year it was, it might've been during Ken Norquay's time as CEO, but the last race of the New Year's meeting was always be sponsored by WAGBOTA, and they would come up and give a little trophy or whatever to the last winner. Anyway, I'm giving the presentation and a couple of kids from the crowd ask if they can come up and get in the photo and I say ‘yep, no worries'. They came up, had their photo taken, but when I turn my back and these kids are running on the track! They then they're joined by pretty much everyone else from the crowd! It was chaos and of course its greatest mess of all time but the people loved it! So we decided to make it a regular feature of our New Year's Eve meetings and we controlled it by having people stationed at certain points on the track so our equipment didn't get wrecked or whatever. It was hugely popular and people really looked forward to it but I understand why we can't do it anymore with the amount of racing and trialling we do these days. There's not enough time to repair the track.
James Broadhurst: You were CEO of Greyhounds WA between 2004 and 2013. Would it be fair to say that's when you had your biggest impact in the sport?
David Simonette: I think holding onto Cannington was probably the most demonstrable thing. (In 2009 Greyhounds WA's lease with the Canning Horticultural, Agricultural and Recreational Society had expired. The club was being pressured by Racing and Wagering WA not to renew and move all its operations to Mandurah). If there had been a lesser person who was less passionate in the role, I think we could have gone down a terrible path because RWWA just wanted to not pay the maintenance and enter into a new lease at Cannington. They wanted to build a track inside the existing track at Mandurah. That would've been a disaster. I knew that. We had a report done and it showed what they proposed wasn't even possible. They hadn't even bothered to check if the new track would fit inside the other one. But RWWA were pushing it anyway. And I think if I hadn't gone to bat so hard, that would've definitely happened.
James Broadhurst: Do you feel a sense of satisfaction that you were kind of able to out manoeuvre this much larger, more resourced organisation like RWWA?
David Simonette: The key people At RWWA were going on holidays leading up to Christmas and I knew they weren't going to be back until February. And in that time, that's when we mobilised everything with the ‘Save Cannington' campaign, with the petition and all the publicity and all that stuff. We just outplayed them and got the industry combined. We got the city (of Canning) and the community on our side and we rallied them against the big, bad, ugly RWWA. And we caught them out. They didn't expect that level of pushback and they didn't know how to counter it. They were angry but too bad! We beat them because we were passionate and we actually cared. RWWA had a high-profile consultant that they made out to be this greyhound expert. He had no clue. I went head-to-head with him on radio and I said "Oh I may not be an expert, I've only been in the sport since I was 12. I'd just like to ask the expert what colour is the number two stretchvest?" Right. Dead silence. I said, "Oh you don't know that? Okay, so let's start the interview." That's how I did it. It was absolute war. But was I happy to do that? Yeah. I loved that old track.
James Broadhurst: What about the current state of greyhound racing in WA?
David Simonette: In terms of prizemoney, turnover and the financial side the sport is really strong. It's probably never been stronger. It's a popular wagering product.
The sport as a whole has made big advancements with animal welfare. That's something you're always working on but there have been big strides made in that area. The next thing is a straight track. We need to have a straight track. I think if I'm looking into the future, and I may be one out on this view, for us to be a thriving industry in 10 years' time, Australia-wide straight track racing has got to be the go. At the moment straight track racing is generally the lower-class dogs, its broadcast during the lesser time slots, the meetings are all on Sky 2, all that. It's not especially attractive to the punter. The TV coverage is a pretty average experience. The dogs are coming straight toward you, head on. It's not a great viewing. And it's absolutely too difficult to work out where your dog is in terms of relation to the other dogs and where the finishing post is in a TV situation. But I believe the first state that embraces straight track racing and says we are going to make the camera work second-to-none and make this racing a must watch will be the ones who draw benefit from it.
I have been very lucky to have known some wonderfully talented media people through my association with Greyhound Racing. Many getting their start in our sport a couple that come to mind are the multi-talented Matt Hill and his New South Wales equivalent Darren Flindell. I got to spend a bit of time with Darren in the early days. He is a super bloke and great company. To listen to him most Saturday's and marvel at how talented a caller and presenter he is, it's great to acknowledge the heights he has scaled. Here is a one on one I did with him back in March 1999.
Another South Australian champion I remember well from the 1976-77 was Just Biddy. Until I read this brilliant article by June Whyte who has written so much wonderful content about our sport over the years. I never knew she was bred by a fellow Director of mine at Sandown the late Joe Diamond. A legend in his own right and as nice a man as you would ever meet.
Patricia Culliver contacted me in regard to a document she found with her mother while cleaning up the affairs of one of her great Aunt's. It's quite extraordinary that it has come to light as it belonged to Patricia's four great Aunt's that lived in Ballan in the 40's and decided the Greyhound company which operated White City in Tottenham was a good investment. Here is a copy and some information on White City.
Three magic moments I found and wrote about sometime ago. The opening of the new Geelong Complex in 1980. Impressed with the entertainment Humprey B Bear and Lee Conway. The first female to lead and handle a greyhound was the late Pat Ambrosoli, the story has it that Pat slipped away early to Temora and stole a march early. Finally the youngest greyhound to win an official race at Moree in 1971. 10 month old Marcy Maree. I seem to recall the mighty Zoom Top was only 14 months old when she won her first start a maiden at Goulburn.
