When a greyhound going by the name of Wheelchair Norm is trained by Mar Bell there is sure to be a story behind the moniker and that is the case with last Wednesday’s Richmond Maiden Final winner.
Bell is no stranger to adversity after undergoing a successful liver transplant earlier this year, but the happy-go-lucky trainer is keen on giving his greyhounds quirky names.
It began with his 2000 Melbourne Cup and Vic Peters Classic winner Go Wild Teddy, continued on with Jumpin’ Canary, the dam of Wheelchair Norm, and more recently with his Wentworth Park winner Big Girl Gerald.
“Norm Murray is on the board at my local Austral Bowling Club and is a real character,’’ Bell said.
“He got sick and had to use a wheelchair but while he now doesn’t need it all the time he gets a laugh out of getting pushed around by his mates.
“Norm is always giving me advice on my dogs. If he watches one run below expectations on TV he tells me it is sore, and would often ask me to name a greyhound after him.
“He is getting a buzz out of Wheelchair Norm, who missed the kick and got smashed at his first start but has won his next two, a heat and final, over 400m at Richmond.
“Wheelchair Norm’s grand-dam Miss Blue Blood has been a great producer for me with every litter she has whelped producing city winners.
“She is the dam of Hooky Booky, Murray Cod and Darlene Ottey, who won $80,000 prize-money in NEW ZEALAND after I sold her and her litter brother, sired by Hallucinate, in a package deal for $60,000 when they had just been educated.
“Miss Blue Blood’s daughter Jumpin’ Canary, Wheelchair Norm’s mother, could run like the wind but was not as genuine as her mother on the racetrack.
“Jumpin’ Canary broke 30 seconds over 520 metres at Wenty and won in 42.10 over 720 there but despite winning 20 races wasn’t always a keen chaser.
“At her next start after winning in 42.10 she tailed off and I realised she went better when she didn’t race at the same track too often.
“If you took her back a third or sometimes even a second time she wasn’t interested so I had to go all over NSW with her looking for a change of scenery for her!’’
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Chris Nutt, who owned 2011 Australian Cup winner, the Debbie Cannan-trained St Pierre, has a hot prospect in his own kennels with Cash Rules clocking a slick 22.47 winning Wednesday’s 400m Bulli Maiden Final.
“She is by El Grand Senor from Little Egyptian so is from the next litter to Punch One Out, who held the Wentworth Park 520m record,’’ Nutt said.
“Cash Rules is not two years old and is immature, she is a bit full-on and something of a hot head, but is improving all the time.
“She heaps of early pace and rails well so has a future.
“I was preparing her for last month’s group three Dapto Maiden Classic but she came down with kennel cough.
“Although she has only raced over 400m her run home times suggest she will get further so I’ll now give her a 472m at Bulli and then try her over 520m at Dapto.’’
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Steadfast Cosmo’s form resurgence at the ripe old age of 44 months is due to the dog being reunited with Peter Perrin, whose wife Lorraine trains the greyhound at Bargo.
Steadfast Cosmo went within 0.08 of his best Wentworth Park time when he won there last Saturday night and got the cash again at Bulli on Wednesday.
“He is a one man dog, he just loves me,’’ Perrin explained.
“Steadfast Cosmo had eight months away from me with another trainer and although the dog did okay he fretted for me.
“Since coming back to our kennels he has won three in a row at Bulli, then finished second at Wentworth Park before winning both there and at Bulli on Wednesday.
“He will be nominated back at Wentworth Park next weekend.’’
Steadfast Cosmo is a son of the Perrin family’s bitch Steadfast Tammy, a litter sister to their brilliant front runner and fine brood bitch Bananarama.
“Steadfast Tammy broke the Goulburn 350m record at her third start and was three lengths quicker than Bananarama but didn’t have her dazzling early pace,’’ Peter Perrin said.
“They have both been good producers and Thunder Rama, who is out of Bananarama, has won $80,000 prizemoney in Western Australia.’’
