Greyhound racing helped get Anthony Cooper back on his feet – and he hasn’t looked back since.
Cooper, who has Fenyang going in heat two of the Murphys Pre Ed and Rearing Sprint Series (307m) at Bathurst’s twilight meeting on Monday, first started with greyhounds back in 1966.
He gave it up about 10 years later and spent 30 years away from the sport.
A back operation in 2005 left him struggling for mobility – before greyhound racing came to the rescue.
“Someone told me they had the same problem,” Cooper said.
“They said I should get myself a greyhound and walk it every morning for 10 minutes. That would help.
“I tried it and it worked.
“Soon 10 minutes turned into 45 minutes.
“My back got stronger and it went from there.”
Cooper and his partner Sue Mawby currently care for more than a dozen dogs on their 10-acre property at WOODSTOCK, close to Cowra.
Solid sprinter Fenyang has been handy for Cooper, chalking up eight wins from 17 starts so far.
The pair have had an eventful few months, with Cooper sending his charge to Dave Irwin earlier this year after falling ill.
Fenyang enjoyed some success with the Queensland trainer before seriously injuring a shoulder while falling at Grafton in February.
Cooper nursed the dog back to full health for about three months and has been rewarded with three consecutive victories.
“He has come back better than ever,” Cooper said.
The 67-year-old has an unusual approach to preparing his dogs.
“Someone told me once that a dog has 100 races in them and a trial counts as one of them,” he said.
“I never trial my dogs. When they are ready to race, they race.
“We have a ball with racing. When we win, the phone is always ringing with friends.
“I get up at 6am and don’t get to bed by 11pm, but I don’t mind. I love every second of it.”
Cooper targeted box two runner Tinker King as the biggest threat but said he was “pretty confident” of another win in the 307m race.
“He has box six, but that doesn’t matter,” he said. “He can win from any box.
“As soon as his feet hit the ground he takes off and is hard to stop.
“He could run further than this but when he is doing all right, why bother?”
The race is the second of 10 on the card at Bathurst.
Racing starts at 4.17pm. For full fields, form and tips click here.
