When Lucy Lobster zoomed into Saturday night’s semi-finals of the Group 1 Ladbrokes Vic Peters Classic with a blistering all-the-way heat performance she continued a race winning tradition for trainer Charlie Lamb which began 30 years ago.
Unlike many successful trainers, 53-year-old Charlie Lamb was not born into the sport but became involved through meeting Lisa Brown, who he married 27 years ago.
Lisa’s father, the late Johnny Brown, was among Australia’s greatest trainers, and while his skill with stayers was especially renowned, he also prepared a swag of top notch sprinters.
He trained 1979 Association Cup winner Little Vogue, who, a year earlier, had smashed the race record in Brisbane’s Gabba Thousand, staged over the gruelling 895m trip.
Little Vogue’s earlier kennelmates included 1975 Sydney Cup winner This Guy Moss, three other great stayers Marg’s Fortune, This Man Moss and Brown Sparks, and a few years later sprint ace Snow Beacon, who won the 1982 Harold Park Christmas Gift.
Snow Beacon made history by winning a top grade race at Newcastle’s Beaumont Park on a Saturday afternoon a few hours before trouncing a first class field at Sydney’s Harold Park that night.
“I wonder if greyhounds would be tough enough to do something like that today?’’ Lamb said.
“I came on the scene just after those dogs but when I married Lisa, her dad was training greyhounds like Sharyn’s Vogue, who was out of Little Vogue and who won the 1986 Christmas Trophy over 558m at the old Gabba track.
“Magic Top and Coaster’s Impact were other top notchers Johnny trained and when I became part of his family he taught me everything there was to know about greyhounds.
“My father Paul had trained a couple of dogs when I was a Little kid growing up out west but I was too young to be interested.
“Johnny Brown gave me my first greyhound, Charlie Vogue, who won several races at Beaumont Park (Newcastle) and CESSNOCK.
“My first city winner was Barley Charlie, a stayer who finished second to Barry Dukes’ great stayer Equability in the 1992 Association Cup, run at Wentworth Park.
“I was working as a fettler on the railways when I met Lisa but went full time into greyhounds 15 years ago.
“Helping me achieve that goal was One Tree Hill, who I obtained as a pup after rearing a litter on a one-for-one basis for breeder Jerry Beaumont, an old friend from western NSW.
“Jerry’s bitch Mockingbird Hill had a litter by Gable Lafourche and among the offspring was One Tree Hill.
“I trained her early in her career but a phone call from Victorian breeder Geoff Collins, who I had known for a decade, persuaded me to send her to Melbourne trainer Robbie Britton.
“One Tree Hill won the 2007 Black Top at The Gardens and the 2008 Paws Of Thunder as well as contesting the Topgun and a couple of Melbourne Cups.’’
Other more recent top flight greyhounds trained by Charlie Lamb include Gable Drum (19 wins, three at Wentworth Park) and Gable Lid (12 wins, four at Wentworth Park including a Free-For-All).
Lamb's other standouts include Ruby Jet (10 wins, four at Wentworth Park), Wiradjuri Girl (13 wins, three at Wentworth Park and five successive victories in mid-2012) and Two Tree Hill, who won four races at the Glebe track and saluted the judge on 23 occasions.
“When Robbie Britton comes to NSW to race he often stays at our 25 acre property at Swan Bay, 15 minutes north of Raymond Terrace, and just like Lisa’s father did, Robbie hands out much sound advice on getting the best out of greyhounds,’’ Lamb said.
“Lisa and I breed, whelp, rear and train greyhounds at Swan Bay, and the farm is equipped with its own 360 metre straight track.
“We currently have 20 greyhounds in work, although many of those are just starting out in their careers.
“We bred Lucy Lobster from One Tree Hill but sold her as a puppy to a syndicate called Sweet Lady Punt, headed by a young fellow named Hays Bailey.
“This group of friends had not had much luck as greyhound owners and it was Robbie Britton who suggested they go and buy something from me.
“They were fortunate because Lucy Lobster has won seven from 13 starts and three at Wentworth Park.
“Ironically two of Lucy Lobster’s litter siblings, one owned by trainer Anthony Azzopardi and the other by Lisa and myself, were faster than her but they did not make it to the track.’’
