ZIPPING Weston and ZIPPING Bruno give trainer Jason MACKAY a great chance of figuring in the placings in Saturday night’s Group 3 Sportingbet Magic Maiden final.
ZIPPING Weston and ZIPPING Bruno have drawn boxes two and four respectively, and MACKAY think both have a chance in the $25,000-to-the-winner final.
MACKAY has trained multiple place getters in the Magic Maiden before. In 2011, he trained ZIPPING Man to win the Magic Maiden final, while his other starter, ZIPPING Lad, flashed home to run third.
Jason said: "ZIPPING Man and ZIPPING Lad were outstanding juveniles and the pair I have in this year’s final are on a par with them."
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Troy Donaldson celebrated his first day of retirement from the workforce by landing a winning double at Wentworth Park on Monday night.
Troy, who had been in the navy for 14 years, began life as a full-time greyhound trainer on Monday and scored at Wentworth Park with litter sisters Unbelief and Chrystal’s Jet.
Unbelief began brilliantly and led throughout to win by eight lengths in a second best of the night 30.05 for the 520m while Chrystal’s Jet also pinged the lids to win over 280m in 16.09, which was the fastest time of the meeting.
"I was listed in the racebook as being at Shelly Beach but that is my postal address and I am in the process of moving to Wyee, where I have bought 20 acres on which to rear, train and break in my greyhounds," Troy said.
"Unbelief and Chrystal’s Jet were whelped by my bitch Charlie Cheetah and they are just two years old.
"Unbelief had been handslipped at Wenty prior to Monday night’s win while Chrystal’s Jet had never seen the track.
"I’m not sure if Chrystal’s Jet will run 520 metres because she had a hip injury which set her back and Monday’s was only her fifth start.
"Unbelief is very quick early and has posted a first split at Gosford on 4.38 while she won over 515 metres at The Gardens in January in 29.65.
"Since that win she has continually found trouble at the first corner but now I will nominate her for a Goulburn to Wenty Heat on Tuesday over 457 metres while I’ll enter Chrystal’s Jet for a 350m race at the same meeting.
"Monday’s double completed a week of mixed luck for me as a few days earlier I lost Senor Grizzly, a litter brother of Unbelief and Chrystal’s Jet, to an injury.
“He had won seven of 16 starts and was just coming back nicely after a spell."
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Monday night’s other winning double at Wentworth Park was snared by Shirley Davidson, who turns 80 in October.
Shirley won a pair of 280m events with How’s It Going and Mini Norris, who each "came out running" to lead throughout in 16.31 and 16.46 respectively.
Amazingly Shirley, who trains an eight dog team at Austral, near Liverpool, has never held a driver’s licence, usually a prerequisite for training greyhounds.
"My partner Ron Barlow died two years ago and since then I’ve had to rely on help from other kind people to get to race meetings and trial tracks," Shirley said.
"Steve Bonello drives me and my dogs to the trials every Sunday while David Mason, another trainer who lives at Sadleir, takes us to the races.
"So I mostly have to nominate wherever David is racing his dogs.
"I’m on a pension and am up for $660 a fortnight in rent so need to keep winning races to survive.
"How’s It Going was a gift to me from breeder John Staines, who owns Mini Morris.
"Since he gave How’s It Going to me she has won $5,000 prizemoney and she is the star of my kennel.
"But she is only a short course greyhound and like Mini Norris, which John owns, she can’t run 500 metres.
"How’s It Teddy, which John also owns, has won two sprints for me and she is potentially my best greyhound.
"I have been training greyhounds for 50 years and since Ron died I do it all on my own, so training eight greyhounds is a full time job."
