It was fitting that on the weekend Greg Inglis scored the try of the year his canine namesake, Big Gee Eye, should give trainer Terry Marsh and his owner, son Sam, their first Wentworth Park winner.
Terry, from Coal Point, near Toronto, has been training for 30 years but Big Gee Eye’s runaway win in a slick 30.12 in a heat of the Macro Meats Maiden on Monday was his first in town.
Big Gee Eye’s run home time of 11.79, outstanding figures for a maiden, prompted Terry to remark: “This dog has 600 metres tattooed all over him, but we’ll try and win a few more sprints first.’’
Sam later described Big Gee Eye, who, considering his racing name, has the quirky kennel name of Thurston, as a bargain buy.
“I bought him from Trevor Hagney when he was 13 months old for only $1,800,’’ Sam said.
Before last Monday night Big Gee Eye had rung up four seconds from seven starts, including a fast finishing runner-up performance behind Steve White’s Tommy Brislane in a heat of the Wentworth Park Magic Maiden on April 6.
Surprisingly Terry Marsh has had only a handful of Wentworth Park starters over the years, pointing out that he had quit the sport at one stage but re-entered the training ranks when The Gardens track opened.
“Best dog I’ve had was probably Jeffrey Joe who won a string of races including the 1990 Armidale Cup,’’ Terry added.
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Riverstone bricklayer Larry Procopio, a successful hobby trainer for four decades, is hoping Lady Livingston’s win at Wentworth Park last Monday night means he has “turned the corner” after his most unsuccessful two years in the sport.
Lady Livingston, a daughter of Larry and wife Leanne’s former smart chaser Brisk Miss, powered home along the rails to win a heat of the Macro Meats Maiden at Wentworth Park in 30.25.
“I’m almost ashamed to admit it but this is the first winner I’ve trained for two years,’’ Larry said after Lady Livingston’s success.
“I’ve had the worst run imaginable, beginning with Brisk Miss passing away six weeks after whelping her first litter, which includes Lady Livingston, Dan’s My Man and Passenger, who were also placed in Monday’s maiden heats.
“On top of Brisk Miss passing away we also lost three dog pups from the litter.
“Then when Lady Livingston began showing promise she would suffer from acidosis after a hard run so I wasn’t able to put enough work into her to enable her to win races.
“But with the advent of cooler weather, the acidosis has been less of a problem and that was reflected in her win tonight.
“Although Passenger is a bit quicker at this stage I think Lady Livingston might develop into a good stayer.”
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Old stager Emily Dawn, who scored her 22nd win in last Monday night’s 280m Veterans Stakes at Wentworth Park, was almost retired after suffering serious injuries as an eight month old puppy.
After Emily Dawn had come from third early to post a personal best 16.08 in her comfortable win, trainer Robert Jackson revealed the bitch had been attacked by other dogs while being reared.
“A lot of her hind leg muscles were torn apart,’’ Robert said.
“But after spending two weeks at veterinary surgeon Linda Corney’s surgery, Emily Dawn was on the road to recovery.
“Emily Dawn can run 520m, though not very strongly, but because she turns five next January, I’ll restrict her to short course racing from now on to hopefully extend her career.’’
Brian Tuft, whose dog Sudden Splash finished third to Emily Dawn, praised the veteran race concept.
“I raced greyhounds in England before I migrated to Australia and in the UK they have always catered for veteran dogs,’’ Brian said.
“Sudden Splash turned five in March and is racing in great heart, really enjoying competing against his own age group.’’
