At 14 Warren Harper had his heart set on becoming a jockey but when his greyhound training dad Les refused permission he had little choice but to follow in his father’s footsteps.
While he may have ridden a Melbourne Cup winner it is unlikely Warren Harper could have matched the success he has enjoyed in the greyhound code.
Health issues have restricted his visits to Wentworth Park over the past two years but he accompanied wife Jill to Sydney on Saturday night when their highly talented but injury-ravaged sprinter Mr Fordham made his Wentworth Park return.
Warren married Jill Fletcher, a great trainer in her own right and sister of Whittaker’s trainer Bruce Fletcher, in 2004, and they combined to win the 2008 NSW Greyhound of the Year with their champion stayer Miagi.
Owned by former western suburbs rugby league winger Darren Willis, Miagi won the 2007 Sydney Cup and in 2008 the Betfair and Association Cups double at Wentworth Park.
But Warren Harper’s unique achievement was winning the 1969 Paws Of Thunder (then called NSW St Leger) with Beau Brin, a maiden greyhound!
That extraordinary feat will never be equalled because races like the Paws Of Thunder are now restricted to the best 64 nominations so maidens can’t secure a start.
But in 1969 qualifying heats were staged for age classics and Beau Brin, an 40kg giant, scored his first win in the $4000 to the winner Paws Of Thunder final.
“At that time you could buy a semi-detached house in Maroubra for $4000 but Beau Brin tore a back leg muscle during his Paws Of Thunder win and never raced again,’’ Harper said.
“When I was a kid in the late 1940s and early 50s we lived next door to legendary trainer Albert Carter, in Briens Road, Northmead.
“Albert was widely regarded as the world’s best greyhound trainer and always had 30 to 40 greyhounds in work in his backyard.
“I never saw him weigh up a feed, he instinctively knew what each greyhound required and their weights never varied, while he even baked his own dog biscuits.
“Farrago, Albert’s champion of the early 1950s, would sometimes sleep on my bed, and when he was sold to the USA as a stud dog he became the first Australian greyhound to become a sire in America."
It was not long before Harper junior was hooked on the sport.
“My father took over the kennels when Albert got sick but later we moved to Maroubra, and at 17 I put up my age to obtain my own trainer’s licence," he said.
“My first greyhounds Bush Blonde and Sunny Treasure, each broke their maidens at Wentworth Park, while Sunny Treasure won the 1963 Wollongong Oaks and finished third in a Hobart Thousand final.
“Like most teenagers I often came home late and he would blow up so I left home and was given kennel space by Jack Ryan, a Paddington trainer who prepared the Harold Park star Steady Jack.
“Les and I didn’t talk for years but in 1975 I took his champion sprinter Arkaroola to Melbourne for the Australian Cup and he went down by a half length in the final to Ungwilla Lad, another NSW dog.’’
Les Harper trained stars like Arkaroola, World Acclaim, Geeta, Big Pinch, 1979 Peter Mosman Classic winner Tegimi, First Promise, 1967 Paws Of Thunder victor Another Glitter, Glitter Girl and hurdle champion New General, but Warren’s rosters of stars isn’t far behind.
Among the best was Holding, purchased for $3000 and going on to win 19 Harold and Wentworth Park races.
“Holding, who did not miss a place in his first 42 races for me, could sprint and stay and was runner-up in Amerigo Lady’s inaugural National Distance Championship, held in 1969,’’ Harper said.
“Holding was forever chasing home Zoom Top, the best greyhound I have seen, but he finished ahead of her in the National final because she finished third while Victoria’s champion stayer Miram Miss was unplaced.
“Pal’s Dream and Double Summit reached Paws Of Thunder finals while I won the 1984 Queensland Derby at the Gabba with Tangleshell and was runner-up in the 1984 Australian Cup with Katandra King.
“I used to be a big punter and in 1970 thought I could win a Melbourne Cup heat with Pagan Rate so bet up on him at 50/1 ($51) and he won.
“Lithgow was a good punting track in the1960s and I recall putting $2000 on my bitch La Bamba there and when she won I cleared $5000, a small fortune at that time.
“Topini Fire, who won the Tamworth and Grafton Cups was an outstanding Harold Park sprinter and I won the Singleton Silver Bullet with Matty Edwards, who once held the Wentworth Park 280m record.
“More recently Jill and I have trained Inspirationlee, who won the Run For The Roses at The Gardens, Montanus, who won over both 520m and 720m at Wentworth Park, Garbanzo, beaten a nose by Tuiaki in the 2011 Woy Woy Poultry Gold Cup final at Gosford and Jacky Childs, who looked like becoming a crackerjack stayer until he broke down.
“One of the fastest greyhounds Jill and I have had was Calhoun Park, who chased home Anthony Azzopardi’s stayer Lilley Criminal in the 2009 Newcastle Cup."
The couple only have a handful of greyhounds in work but trhey have some class greyhounds at their disposal.
“Flying Jewel, a sister to Derek Shepherd, Buster Bluth, from the same litter as Whittaker, Thinkalot and Gypsy Grey have ability," he said.
“Mr Fordham though has been a heartbreak dog because he blew away Keybow, who has since become a prolific Goup race winner, at Wentworth Park on September 30, 2013.
“But Mr Fordham then cracked a bone behind the stopper and because it won’t calcify he pulls up lame and has to have his racing well spaced.’’
