Christine and Alan Proctor had one of their most successful training years in 2013 and at time of writing are a clear second in this year’s Wentworth Park premiership.
Despite that, the couple maintain that their biggest thrill in the sport occurred 16 years ago.
That was when Lucy Lawless, which they trained for long-time client Jeff Holland, a bookmaker, smashed the race record winning the Ladies Bracelet at Wentworth Park.
"She is still the best greyhound we have trained," Christine said.
"Lucy Lawless not only won the Bracelet but won 20 races at Wentworth Park, was unbeaten in six starts at Canberra where she held the track record, and earned $104,000 in prizemoney which was a large sum in 1998."
A forced redundancy can be shattering, but when Alan was made redundant in 2010 it turned out to be a blessing.
"I was a meter reader for Integral Energy and had been with them for 26 years but at 60 I was made redundant," Alan recalled.
"That forced Christine and I to take the plunge and go into training full-time, and while it is hard work we have never regretted the move.
"When we trained Lucy Lawless we were on a house block at Smithfield and there were nine greyhound trainers in the district.
"But we were the last of the Smithfield trainers when we moved onto our current property at Londonderry nine years ago.
"We are up at 6am daily and out in the yard again at midnight letting the dogs out for a short break so we wouldn’t do that if we didn’t love it.
"We try to always have 20 greyhounds in work, and that is the size of our current team.
“When we were hobby trainers a couple of professionals I respected insisted that if you were full-time you needed 20 in order maintain a minimum of four racing greyhounds.
"Bitches are always coming in season and dogs pick up injuries so we reckon at least 20 kennels need to be occupied at any one time."
Being unable to prevent bitches coming in season is the Proctors’ biggest bugbear.
"Zippy Chicki had won four of her past five Wentworth Park starts and was ideally drawn in box eight in an $8,000 to the winner final there when she came in season and had to go back to her owner," Alan lamented.
"And a couple of weeks before that we had lost Tiza Gold and Miss Chicki, both good Wentworth Park winners, for the same reason.
"Breeders are now finding it difficult to sell bitch puppies, everyone wants dogs because they are more likely to have uninterrupted careers.
"But bitches are needed to continue the breed of the sport and to maintain a supply of racing greyhounds.
"Best greyhound we have at present is Bessy Boo, who has won three Wentworth Park 520m races despite being a slow beginner.
"We put him over 618m at Richmond recently and he won in 35.70 but I doubt he will get a strong 720m because he chases too hard."
Partly due to Alan being forced out of his job, the Proctors are living the dream, fulfilling a partnership which began at the Harold Park trots and Wentworth Park dogs in 1967.
"Our courtship began at the trots on Friday nights and the dogs each Saturday but it was the greyhounds which fascinated us," Alan says.
"We were enthralled by the big betting at the dogs when bookmakers like Ray Hopkins, Neville Mogler, Peter McCullen and Bruce Fletcher wouldn’t bat an eye after a favourite won and the payout queue stretched for several metres.
"By 1970 we were hooked and bought our first greyhound from a friend of Christine’s family.
"We didn’t have a dream introduction to the sport as the dog was no good and ended up catching distemper.
"Christine was working part-time in coffee lounges and cafes and I was employed full time so we knew nothing about training greyhounds.
"But training seminars were popular in those days and Christine and I went to every one we could find.
"Through attending these I got to know the late Ron Bowen, one of the leading veterinary surgeons of the day, and he taught me how to check dogs for injuries.
"Before Lucy Lawless came along we almost bought a bitch called National Lee, who became a champion stayer and held the Harold Park 732m record.
"Early in her career we tried to buy her from her owners, the Coles family at Bathurst, for $10,000, a lot of money in those days.
"But we missed out and Jill Fletcher, now Warren Harper’s wife, finished up training National Lee to become the best stayer in the land.
"Christine’s favourite track is Wentworth Park and when it comes to the best greyhounds I’ve seen I’d plump for Flying Amy, Brother Fox, Brett Lee and Worth Doing although Zoom Top was unquestionably the most versatile."
