Lochinvar Impact, whose win at Wentworth Park on Saturday night was among the runs of the year, could become trainer Robert Smith’s third group race winner.
Lochinvar Impact was almost knocked to the ground at the first turn before recovering magnificently to be second at the halfway mark and going on to win in a brilliant 29.78.
Robert’s kennels at Barnsley, west of Lake Macquarie, have always housed only a small team and these days he trains solely for Hunter Valley businessman Kevin Gordon and his family.
But Robert, who trained 2010 Paws Of Thunder winner Lochinvar Marlow and Miss Elly Mint, one of Wentworth Park’s all-time great sprinters, became involved in the sport through the simple act of holding a greyhound for a few minutes.
“My uncle Fred Bradshaw had a little straight track at Darkes Forest, near Helensburgh, and one day when I was visiting him as an eight year old kid the famous trainer Neville Ballinger came to trial some dogs,’’ Robert recalled.
“Neville got me to hold a big blue dog named Smoky Sentinel for him while he trialled some others and I was instantly fascinated by this dog and by the greyhound breed.
“A few years later Fred gave me an unraced three-year-old bitch which was owned by Tiger Black, who was the most famous rugby league commentator of that era.
“I trained her to win a couple of races and after leaving school and going to work at 14 I would earn extra money by exercising greyhounds for trainer Chicka Morris, who was a neighbour at Swansea.’’
Chicka Morris was a legendary trainer who prepared over 6000 winners and Robert credits him with showing him how to work greyhounds to fitness.
“Another local trainer, Jimmy Lysaght showed me how to place greyhounds in the right races while Tibbles Forbes, who trained the outstanding Harold Park sprinter Paul’s Pal, instructed me on how to check dogs for injuries,’’ Robert added.
“As soon as I turned 18 I became an official trainer because I was able to get my licence and I won several races with dogs owned by Jack Chapman, who was the grader at Harold Park and at Richmond.
“Mister Tibbs was a handy dog for Jack and I and every weekend I would head off to Taree, ARMIDALE, Guinnedah or Muswellbrook because in those days it was all about betting as prizemoney in the bush was ordinary.
“The bookmakers at those tracks had an unwritten rule that they put up 2/1 ($3) about all unraced maidens so you could back them at that price, put more on at 6/4 ($2.50) and if you were really confident, keep betting at even money ($2).
“There were some massive punters and bookmakers and I soon got a job as clerk for Rod Perrin, a big bookie who would hold $150,000 every Saturday afternoon on Newcastle’s Beaumont Park dogs and at Harold Park greyhounds the same night.
“I also trained dogs for Jimmy Darcy, a bookie who was also a big punter.
“There was a bit of pressure training for Jimmy but it was worth it because if you declared one of his dogs a good thing and it won you were likely to be rewarded with a new car!
“Jimmy owned a dog called Spotted Mozza and I remember him giving me $10,000 to put on it at Newcastle, a fortune in those days.
“He didn’t want to take under 2/1 ($3) so while bookmaking he started blowing the price out expecting the other bookies to follow suit.
“But they refused to budge beyond 5/4 ($2.25) so Jimmy got dirty, turned Spotted Mozza to 6/4 ($2.50) and instead of backing it, bet heavily against it.
“It worked out well for him because Spotted Mozza got beaten and he won a stack.’’
Robert trained Miss Elly Mint for Ray Watson and she won an incredible 16 races in succession before losing once and then stringing together another five wins in a row.
Miss Elly Mint, a NSW Greyhound of the Year runner-up, won two group races and an astonishing 45 of her 65 starts.
More recently Robert has prepared Lochinvar Marlow for the Gordon family and that dog won three group events before retiring to stud where he has now become one of our leading sires.
“At the moment I only have Lochinvar Impact and Lochinvar Akira, who has won three from nine starts, in work but another three will be joining the team soon,’’ Robert said.
“Kevin Gordon breeds his own dogs and keeps one or two from each litter and sells the rest.’’
Robert, who has been training for more than 40 years, says the breeding side of the sport has changed.
“We used to breed from the better Harold Park dogs, then when that track closed the focus was on dogs who were good on two turns tracks like Wentworth Park.
“But now it is all about what time dogs can run for the first section.’’
Like almost every trainer who was privileged to see late 1960s champ Zoom Top Robert rates her the best, with Travel Rev the finest pure stayer and Glider’s Son, who won the 1981 NSW Greyhound of the Year award, the most exciting sprinter.
