Grafton trainer John Dart grew up with greyhounds but it was a big "present" from the local barber when he trained his first winner, aged just 16, which totally won him over to the sport.
John, whose father Noel and uncle Duncan were greyhound trainers, says he had “fibbed’’ to say he was 18 years old in order to obtain his trainer’s licence.
"It helped that one of my uncles was a Justice of the Peace," quipped John.
"The first dog I trained was Summer Hill Road and while he wasn’t much good I had a big win on him in his maiden at Grafton.
"The local barber, Tommy Agnew, was a keen punter, and I told him I was training a greyhound which was a certainty.
"Tommy promised to back the dog for me and when Summer Hill Road won at 3/1 ($4), Tommy gave me $200.
"There were 10 bookmakers at Grafton then and as I was working at a grocery store for $17 a week, Tommy’s $200 sling was equivalent to three months pay!
"As a kid we had lived at Glenreagh from where my father and uncle Duncan would drive the trains to Dorrigo.
"When that line was closed Duncan moved to Newcastle, where he became a leading trainer, and dad, my mum Marge, and myself, shifted to Grafton.
"First top notcher I trained was Star Monarch, who won 20 races from 400 to 700 metres at the old Gabba track in Brisbane.
"The late Bob McDonald from Lidcombe, had left Star Monarch with me after the dog failed to perform at a Grafton July carnival but he was a very timid greyhound and I managed to get him going.
"(The) biggest thrill I’ve had was winning the 2007 Albion Park Gold Cup with Miss Grub, while Pierino’s win in the 2013 Tweed Heads Galaxy was also a highlight.
"I had always wanted to win that race and was especially delighted when legendary trainer Jimmy Coleman phoned me the day after Pierino’s win to congratulate me.
"Jimmy pointed out that while he had won most of Australia’s biggest races, the Galaxy had always eluded him.
"Pierino was also the source of a major disappointment as a broken hock at Maitland ended his career.
"But an even bigger blow was when Mrs Thursday, which like Pierino, was owned by Les Daley, also broke a hock and had to be retired.
"I have never trained a faster greyhound than Mrs Thursday even though she won only a half dozen races before her career was cut short.
"She could break records in trials and was set to become a champion long distance greyhound.
"She won the Winter Chase and as an immature stayer got run down by Destini Fireball and Bell Haven in an Albion Park Gold Cup final.
“I hand-slipped her at Wenty and the clockers there told me her time was equal to a 42 seconds run for 720 metres but she is now in pup to Magic Sprite.
"There are 30 greyhounds in my kennels now with the best being Fusaichi Khan, who was a semi-finalist in the New Sensation at Wentworth Park, and Bluebird, who has won 10 of 20 starts and is a brilliant beginner.
"Bluebird keeps getting injured but she has won in 22.60 at Albion Park and 24.11 at Lismore and will fly around Wentworth Park if I can get her down there.
"Fusaichi Khan won his New Sensation heat at Wentworth Park in 29.71 but missed the jump in last Friday’s semi-final.
"I will bring him back to Wenty for the Peter Mosman Classic series in June."
John Dart trained 126 winners in 2013 and is on target to crack 100 winners again in 2014, having already won 30 races this year.
His favourite track is Albion Park, which he describes as "the fairest in Australia".
"Greyhounds can come from last and win there, they can’t do that anywhere else," John said.
"And when it comes to the best I’ve seen, there isn’t a greyhound to come even close to Zoom Top, the all distance champion of the late 1960s.
"Zoom Top was also the best looking greyhound I’ve seen, the veins on her back were as thick as a human’s little fingers."
