Hello Good Bye, the 2013 Queensland Derby winner for Melbourne trainer Kel Greenough, has returned to NSW in a bid to resurrect his career.
The dog, who turns four in October, was unplaced at his two most recent races at Sandown in June.
Hello Good Bye, who has won 16 of 49 starts in a career interrupted by injury, is back in his original kennel with Sydney trainer Charlie Gatt.
Gatt trained the dog for his first five starts which resulted in four victories, including sizzling wins in 22.46 at Bulli, 25.22 at Maitland and 30.79 at Richmond.
Hello Good Bye is owned by Victorian Paul Galea and After his second Richmond win Charlie Gatt unselfishly transferred the dog to Kel Greenough, believing there were more opportunities for the greyhound in Victoria.
Greenough duly steered the dog to victory over Transcend Time in the 2013 Queensland Derby final at Albion Park.
Hello Good Bye’s return to NSW completes a neat swap of greyhounds between Charlie Gatt and Kel Greenough.
The Victorian maestro has now taken over the training of Gatt’s brilliant front runner Unleash De Fear, who won eight of only 16 starts for his Sydney trainer.
Unleash De Fear snared slick wins in 24.99 at Maitland and 26.27 at Bulli before finishing third in a heat of the Peter Mosman Classic at Wentworth Park ahead of a luckless fourth in a Bendigo Cup heat on June 29.
Unleash De Fear should become a dominant figure on the Victorian country cups circuit, which comprises mostly roomy one turn track events, suited to the dog’s early speed.
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Owner-trainer Joe Baldacchino has reluctantly pulled the pin’ on the career of Nosey Rozy, one of Sydney’s most exciting but unluckiest sprinters.
Nosey Rozy, far and away the best greyhound the battling trainer has raced, looked set to become a Group race greyhound After winning nine of her first 12 starts, including two from three at Wentworth Park.
But After dropping a back leg muscle earlier in her brief career she dropped the other at Richmond in April and has had to be retired.
“Thankfully she has come in season and will be mated with Where’s Pedro,’’ Baldacchino said.
“So maybe I’ll get some puppies that are good enough to give me another shot at the big time.’’
Iona Seven, who won the 2014 Paws Of Thunder final at Wentworth Park for Sydney owner Frank Sidrak and Victorian trainer Robbie Britton, has also been retired.
The daughter of Swift Fancy and Iona Habit, who turned three in April, won 15 of 44 races but has not been able to get to the track since a race fall.
“She is not in season yet but when she comes on I’ll mate her," Sidrak said.
"At this stage I’m looking at imported stud dogs.
“Iona Seven is by Swift Fancy, a son of Collision, so I don’t have a lot of options as far as breeding with local dogs go.
"An outcrossed might work best.’’
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Sneaky Bonanza put on a floor show for racegoers at Nowra last Monday After he scored a runaway win over 630m in 36.56, only .07 wide of his personal best posted in May, which was just .34sec outside Smart Betsy’s track record.
“When I was walking back After catching him on Monday the tractor went past and Sneaky Bonanza tried to attack the wheels,’’ Ron Fisher, whose wife Judy trains the dog, said.
“After that he had a go at the rubber matting on the back of the tractor. Then he noticed the TV camera and wanted to grab that!’’
“A couple of weeks back I trialled him at Nowra and the arm came off the carriage which drives the lure," Judy added.
“While it was in mid-air Sneaky Bonanza leaped into the air to try and catch it.’’
Formerly trained in the NSW Northern Rivers by his owner Terry Lockhart, Sneaky Bonanza has thrived since entering the Fishers’ south coast kennels.
Sneaky Bonanza has now won nine of 21 starts and apart from his fast Nowra 630m double he has clocked slick times of 34.50 and 34.54 winning over 600m at Dapto.