It took a while but Allan Manwaring seems to have found the perfect recipe for success with My Bella Rose.
The flying greyhound goes in the Shoalhaven Shuttle Sprint (365m) at Nowra on Monday aiming for her seventh consecutive win.
Manwaring’s charge had compiled five wins from her first 30 starts – including last year’s $75,000-to-the-winner Country Motor Company Puppy Classic Final - and had been running predominately at the 400m distance and upwards.
Her trainer decided to drop her back to 365m level for the Nowra meeting in early May – and it’s been win, win, win ever since.
“We were trying to make her a 500m dog and she’s not just not capable of that,” Manwaring said. “She seems to be happy over the shorter sprints.
“I think just trying to flog them week-to-week sometimes does not work.
“Now she just pokes around the big paddock and races fresh over 360m.
“It seems to be working.”
My Bella Rose will go from box eight and faces some challenging opposition today.
She will start outside Jazzy Cowgirl, who has won her last three races - all at Nowra – for trainer Anthony Swan.
Silent Crash (box one) and Classy Roger, from bow two, also demand consideration with their recent respective solid records.
“It will be hard as there are some tough dogs in the race,” Manwaring said. “If she does everything right then she can get the win.”
“She won the Puppy Classic at Dapto (last December) over 520m, but it was a slow time.
‘I think we just need to keep her fresh for anything below 400m now.”
Manwaring said his greyhound's superb run of form was extra special for him.
“She is named after my daughter, so it’s a big thrill to see her going so well,” he said.
“She is a lovely bitch and I will be breeding with her when she retires.
“I just hope she can keep doing what she’s doing.”
The Nowra-based trainer has four other dogs going at his home meeting today and likes the look of Storm Twister in the Bridge Tavern Bistro Nowra Stakes (520m).
He goes from box eight aiming to repeat his win at Wentworth Park over 520m earlier this month.
Ten races are on the card at Nowra today.
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