Whittaker's eighth win in 12 starts last Friday at Wentworth Park continued the phenomenal strike rate sustained by Julie and Bruce Fletcher-trained greyhounds over the past four decades.
In 50 years’ covering the sport I cannot recall a kennel with a better ratio of winners to starters than the Fletcher training team, which have always comprised only two to four greyhounds.
Julie and Bruce named Whittaker after the late Vince Whittaker, co-trainer of 1965 Vic Peters Classic and Paws Of Thunder winner Daily Tide, who introduced the couple.
The Fletchers married in 1967 but it was inevitable they were drawn to the sport as Julie’s father Ron Rudd trained champion all-distance dog Cabernet while Bruce’s dad Percy trained 1970 National Derby winner Arthur’s Desire.
“We learned from our parents, with Ronnie Rudd showing us how to prevent injuries rather than repairing them and Percy being a stickler for punctuality with the dogs and leaving no stone unturned,’’ Bruce said.
“The best litter we bred, whelped in June, 2006, by Hallucinate from our bitch Thai Again, was not trained by us as I had health issues at the time.
“Richard Dean trained this litter which included Thai Alert, winner of 20 from 48 starts, RepeaTed, who won 29 races including The Collerson, Radio Star, who won 15 and Hendrix, who won 11 races for Tommy Brislane’s owner Geoff Slattery.
“Best we have trained are Ultimate Wish, who won 11 of his first 13 starts and the Bulli Gold Plate, Magnifique, who won 27 from 60 races including The Collerson and Drover, who won 10 of 26 starts.
We also had Sonic Wave, 1987 Summer Cup and NSW Greyhound of the Year award winner, 1995 Summer Cup winner Ultra Desire, Belford Jones, winner of the Newcastle Silver Bullet, Waverly’s Desire, who won seven from 14 WP starts, Lauren’s Maree, who won 10 at Wenty, Gosford and Dapto Cups winner Thai Flame and Bond, who won 11 of 18 races.
“Bond held the Sandown record but gave us our biggest thrill when he broke the Bulli record at just 20 months of age.
“Not far behind Bond for excitement was Arthur’s Desire’s National Derby win for my father Percy because I was a bookmaker at the time and the unexpecTed win gave me a huge result.
“Silent Retreat was favourite for that 1970 final but Arthur’s Desire jumped in front from box six and led throughout to beat Ted Curran’s Solar Blaze and Tivoli Chief, who later sired Temlee, one of Australian breeding’s greatest stud dogs.
“Except for Pacific Seagull, all our greyhounds have all been from our own bloodlines, bred down from Model Belinda, while 2014 group 1 winners Tommy Brislane and Bessy Boo also descended from our brood bitches."
The Fletchers have enjoyed a notable trainign career but they also know the ups and downs the sport can provide.
“While still a maiden in 1986 Pacific Seagull won a semi-final of the Vic Peters Classic," Bruce Fletcher said. "He would have won the final had he not come of the boxes five lengths behind the field.
“He was a specialist on the old Harold Park track where he raced 18 times for 10 wins but was also runner-up to Jimmy Coleman’s great sprinter Legendary Kid in the 1986 Melbourne Cup final.
“Sonic Wave’s Greyhound of the Year award was controversial because she was erratic and had been already suspended for fighting when we got her from Victoria.
“But she won 11 of 14 starts for us and was undefeaTed in six races at Harold Park.’’
While Bond gave the Fletchers their biggest buzz, they unselfishly they rate the demise of Bruce’s sister’s Jill’s champion stayer National Lee as their major disappointment.
“National Lee was the 800 yards (732m) record holder at Harold Park, where she broke the 43 second barrier an unmatched five times, and was a finalist in a Greyhound of the Year award won by Winifred Bale in the early 1980s,’’ Bruce said.
“Wentworth Park didn’t suit National Lee but Jill succumbed to pressure to start her there when she could no longer get a draw at Harold Park.
“And in that Wentworth Park race National Lee broke a leg and died from a blood clot a fortnight later.’’
Despite that Bruce and Julie believe Wentworth Park and especially Albion Park are good tracks, while ranking Bulli as their favourite. “There isn’t a better course in Australia,’’ says Bruce.
There isn’t a role Bruce Fletcher has not filled, including trainer, stud master, bookmaker, dashing punter, NCA committeeman, board member of GRNSW and the former NSWGRCB and currently on the board of the WP Trust.
Greyhound racing could do with more participants like Julie and Bruce Fletcher.
