Buckle Up Wes was expecTed to become the first Tasmanian to win the Macro Meats Golden Easter Egg but when a first turn collision with Magic Display ended his prospects trainer Ted Medhurst took it in his stride.
"That is part and parcel of racing and if you can’t handle it you shouldn’t be in the sport," Ted said.
"I lost my parents to cancer when they were young, my mother Sheila was in her 40s and my father Edward in his 50s, so not winning a greyhound race is nothing.
"I’ve always said that if you have your health and your family and friends are okay little else matters."
For the past 15 years Ted Medhurst has been among the top two trainers on the Tasmanian premiership ladder, usually winning 180 races annually and in one 12 month period landing over 200 winners.
Yet the 55-year-old was born into a harness racing family.
"My father, Edward, was a keen pacing man but about 45 years back he began running the post office at Kempton, 40 minutes from Hobart," Ted said.
"It had a manual phone exchange which had to be attended to 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and the post office itself was open five-and-a-half days weekly.
"Dad had no more time for pacers so would take mum to Hobart greyhounds on Saturday nights for relaxation.
"It wasn’t long before someone gave him a bitch, Sydom Sue, to train, and she was runner-up to Beau Palomino in the 1972 Hobart Thousand, our biggest race.
"When I was 19 I bought my first greyhound, Clun’s Maid, who won a few races and became the dam of Clun’s Legend, who won 25 races for me.
"Because of the low prizemoney in Tasmania I would sell any fast dogs to mainland trainers or send them to Sydney to be trained by my pal Don McMillan, when he was the leading trainer in NSW.
"Among the greyhounds Don trained for me were Emily’s Idol, who was a National Futurity finalist, Market Force, who won eight races at Wentworth Park, Maui, a Golden Easter Egg finalist, and Kialdu Kidd, who won an award as most consistent NSW greyhound of his year.
"High Wonder won a Warragul St Leger, among the most highly ranked races on the Victorian calendar, for me, and after he also made the final of the Silver Chief I sold him to SA where he won an Adelaide Cup.
"Chief Token won 18 of his first 21 starts for me before I sold him to clients of Ted Sallowes in Victoria and he beat Highly Blessed, who won the 1991 Golden Easter Egg, in a good race at Cranbourne.
"Sydney and Melbourne tracks are leader biased so to go there from Tasmania you need dogs with five second split early speed who also chase keenly.
"Best greyhounds I’ve trained were Blazenka’s Flyer, Buckle Up Wes and Bell Haven although Regent Thunder gave me my only Hobart Thousand win in 2004.
"Blazenka’s Flyer, Tasmania’s 1990 Greyhound of the Year, was a particular favourite because I used to punt on him and every time I had a good whack at him he won.
"Buckle Up Wes’ Australian Cup win was an obvious highlight but Bell Haven’s win in the 2012 Sydney Cup gave me my biggest thrill.
"While I thought she would be competitive she went to Sydney with a low profile but beat the best stayers around, and later won the 2012 Summer Cup and 2013 Betfair Cup finals, also at Wentworth Park.
"If I have had a disappointment it came through Bell Haven when she drew perfectly in box eight in a heat of a Group 1 race at Sandown (the 2013 Bold Trease) after I backed her at $16 to win the final.
"She was going to win her heat when another greyhound savaged her and put her out of the race.
“Bell Haven now has 10 puppies by Kinloch Brae which are eight weeks old.
"Best race dog I’ve seen was Rapid Journey while Brother Fox, who came from NSW to win the 1985 Hobart Thousand, was the fastest I’ve watched."
Ted Medhurst trains his team of 16 race dogs and six juveniles on 29 acres at Mangalore, 20 minutes north of Hobart.
