Smashing Sally confirmed the restoration of her confidence following a fall at Wentworth Park with an emphatic defeat of boom youngster Whittaker at Dapto last Thursday night.
Trained by retired shearer Neil Falk, who has been a hobby trainer for 46 years, Smashing Sally led throughout to score her 12th win in 38 starts.
This lifted her earnings to $50,000.
“After she fell at Wentworth Park in June her confidence was shot to pieces," Falk said.
"She pulled out of it at the first turn at her next Wenty start After the fall.
“As a result she can’t race in town again until she trials satisfactorily with three other greyhounds but I may not bother taking her back to Wentworth Park.
“Because Smashing Sally was finding trouble in 520m races I switched her to middle distance events and she led but petered out at the finish and twice ran second over 618m at Richmond earlier this month.
“I actually entered her for a 600m race at Dapto on Thursday but when no race was available I rolled her nomination over into a 520m event.
“When Whittaker, who is exceptionally strong, was sitting behind Smashing Sally on Thursday I didn’t think she could hold him out but she did.’’
Smashing Sally’s biggest win was when she ran down Zipping Willow to win the Richmond Oaks in May but her career was virtually put on hold when she fell at Wentworth Park a month later.
Falk bred Smashing Sally from his good race bitch Smashing Jen, who won 19 races and $70,000 in stakes.
“Smashing Jen won 10 races while in my kennels but when my wife had a stroke I sent the greyhound to Linda Britton in WA," Falk said.
"She won another nine races with her, over sprint, middle and long distances.
“Smashing Sally is from Smashing Jen’s first litter while I have another litter of two dogs and three bitches which are just over a month old and were sired by Magic Sprite.’’
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Dave Richardson’s 2013 Group 2 Black Top winner Billy Buzzard has just been retired but the Holmesville trainer has two ready-made replacements in Thursday’s brilliant Maitland winners Prince Django and Sandave Prince.
Billy Buzzard, who won 16 races and defeated Zipping Willow in a heat and final of the 2013 Black Top at The Gardens, was retired a fortnight ago.
But Prince Django finished powerfully to win over 450m at Maitland in a sizzling 25.08 while 19-month-old Sandave Prince, having his first start, won a 400m event in a very slick 22.48.
“Prince Django’s only flaw is that he is clumsy,’’ Richardson said.
“That’s why I stepped him up to 450m Because over 400m he was going too fast and was crashing into front running dogs and on a couple of occasions actually knocked them over.
“Prince Django takes monstrous strides and clocked 25.40 in his first 450m trial at Maitland before winning there in 25.21 and going even quicker last Thursday."
Richardson said he planned to test the greyhound further over the coming weeks.
“I’ll nominate him for Maitland again this week then intend trialling him at Richmond to get him accustomed to two turn tracks," he said.
“Early in his career he had a trial at Gosford and went awful but Richmond is a bit roomier so I’ll probably start him off there.
“I was a bit surprised Sandave Prince went so fast in his 400m win on Thursday although he has shown every indication he had the potential to do that.
“He is by Miagi from Stately Sapphire so is from a repeat mating which produced Star Sapphire, who was whelped in 2010 and won 10 from 37 starts for me.
“Like a lot of people I’m not usually keen on repeat matings but the master trainer Paul Cauchi told me they work providing they aren’t consecutive.
“And Stately Sapphire whelped just one pup to Cosmic Chief between her Miagi litter which produced Star Sapphire and the Sandave Prince litter.’’
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Spacecraft scored his fifth win in his past seven starts at Maitland on Wednesday and the Lorraine Atchison-trained greyhound could now be set for the Group 2 Woy Woy Poultry Gold Cup heats at Gosford on Boxing Day.
“I had intended trialling him at Wentworth Park and then nominating him for there on Saturday, November 22," Atchison said.
“But Because Spacecraft is not 19 months old until the 20th of this month I’ve had a re-think and decided to give him more time before heading to Wentworth Park.
“Instead I’ll put him in again at Maitland but Because he has already trialled brilliantly over 515m at Gosford I’m seriously considering nominating him for the Gold Cup heats there.’’
