“Unbelievable’’ was how Alan Proctor summed up the win by his wife Christine’s greyhound Master Gee in Thursday’s Brodie Wells Electrical Future Stars final at Maitland.
While the Minnie Finn-trained pair Winsome Jacko and Winsome Mission were considered to have a mortgage on the race, the tall, gangly 34.4kg Master Gee’s early speed from box seven landed the time honoured maiden event in a blanket finish.
Winsome Jacko, who broke the 400m Maitland record in his heat, came from a seemingly impossible position to run fourth, a mere half length behind the winner.
Christine and Alan Proctor were represented in the Future Stars final by Master Gee and his litter brother Lord Gee, who had box one.
“If you had phoned me before the race I would have tipped Lord Gee to you because he is stronger,’’ Alan Proctor said.
“When we were training for bookmaker Jeff Holland years ago he always insisted that if your dog leads he has a 50 per cent chance of winning and he has been proved right over and over again.
“We’re confident Lord Gee, who won his Future Stars heat in 22.45, will run 500 metres but we aren’t so sure about Master Gee, although they are only 19 months old yet so he could acquire more stamina.
“Chris Black, who works in the meat industry at Nabiac, owns Lord Gee and Master Gee and we trained their dam Oh Em Gee for him.
“Oh Em Gee looks like being a good brood bitch because Vic Peters Classic finalist La Grande Logie is from the El Grand Senor litter which produced our Future Stars finalists.
Oh Em Gee has had a second litter to Bye Bye Bucks.
Master Gee next races at Bulli this Wednesday.
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Frances Goodwin joined the elite group of trainers to land her first winning treble at a TAB fixture when she won 365m races with Rogue River, Oceania and Silent Witness at Nowra last Monday.
Goodwin became a hobby trainer just under five years ago and went full-time into greyhounds three years back when she retired from Telstra after 30 years’ service with the telco.
“I have 10 young greyhounds in work on 20 acres at Tomerong, which is 20km south of Nowra,’’ Goodwin said.
“None of my Nowra winners have been tried over 500m because they are only babies yet.
“I bred Oceania and Silent Witness from Sister Blister while Rogue River is from the next litter whelped by Smashing Amy, who is the dam of Book Keeper and Cyclone Simone.’’
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Londonderry trainer John Grief admits he was “surprised’’ by Cosmic Ken’s sizzling 30-second win at the dog’s 520m debut at Nowra last Monday.
Cosmic Ken, who had previously won five of 19 short course flutters, led throughout after posting a Blistering 4.29sec first split.
“They just don’t run that and Cosmic Ken will now line up at the same track on Monday in a Nowra To Wentworth Park series,’’ Grief said.
Cosmic Ken was part of a winning double for the 37-year-old professional trainer, with Cosmic Buzz scoring over 365m.
“But Cosmic Buzz definitely won’t run 520m, he is purely a 400m greyhound,’’ Grief said.
“I was training greyhounds several years back before taking a couple of years off to travel around Europe.
“Now I’m back training full-time and although Cosmic Ken is promising my best greyhound is Set And Match.
“He has won 15 races including the Richmond Cannonball over 400m and he also finished second in the Maitland Gold Collar.
“Set And Match is about to return to the track after being sidelined since May and while I believe he is capable of winning over 520m he turns four next month so it might be a bit late in his career to find out if he can do so.’’
