Slick Lee, who won 22 races including back-to-back Betfair Gold Cup finals over 720m at Wentworth Park, has sired his first winner from his first mating.
Chubba, a daughter of Slick Lee and Songar Mini Mag, scored an impressive win at only her second start at Richmond last Wednesday.
She clocked a slick 18.78 over 330m and looks a possible one to watch over the coming months.
Chubba is owned and trained by her breeder Keith Pedrana, who made history in 2002 when he sold his home and business to buy Brett Lee for $825,000.
Pedrana’s massive gamble paid off big time with Brett Lee having reaped in over $15 million in stud fees for the former greenkeeper and cleaning business operator.
“I bought Songar Mini Mag for $2500 after a claiming race at The Gardens in 2012,’’ Pedrana said.
“No sooner had I bought her than she came in season so I put her to Slick Lee, who was a pet at home and had not served a bitch.
“But he was a great dog who contested 22 group races including the Sandown Cup, Perth Galaxy, Bold Trease and the Henry Harrison and who earned $230,000 prizemoney.
“Songar Mini Mag has had a second litter, by Brett Lee, which are seven months old.
“Chubba has already trialled nicely over 500 metres so she certainly won’t be restricted to short course races but she is the slowest in the litter.
“I have another bitch along with three dogs, all unraced, from Songar Mini Mag’s mating with Slick Lee, who are quicker.
“I’ve had a bit of a lean trot because I tried to change my breeding line and finished up with only 400 metre dogs.
“I’ve retired all those greyhounds and started from scratch again and have 16 greyhounds in work on my new five-and-a-half acre property at Orchard Hills.’’
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It was fitting that Bulli should honour club stalwart Jimmy Jenkins last Wednesday by naming the track’s initial race from the new 590m starting boxes after the 92-year-old former Aussie soccer test player.
Michael Eberand’s Calamity Trigger won the 590m race in 33.74 in front of a proud Jimmy Jenkins, who identifies greyhounds, lets them in and out of the kennels for each race and cleans the kennel block when racing is completed.
Jenkins begin working at Bulli in 1963, hand-starting races and identifying the greyhounds, while he was also chief steward at Moss Vale greyhounds for 17 years before taking on the same role at Nowra for 12 years.
And he has an association with Wentworth Park, having played soccer on the greyhound course’s infield during the war years.
“I played for Corrimal, on the south coast, and Wentworth Park was the home ground of Sydney’s Pyrmont team,’’ Jenkins recalled.
Highlight of Jimmy Jenkins’ soccer career was representing Australia as goalkeeper in test matches against Yugoslavia in Melbourne and Sydney in 1949.
“They beat us 3-1 in each test and I was paid seven pounds 10 shillings ($14.20) per game,’’ Jenkins recalled.
“The worst part was that after the second match I had to return my jumper, because in those days the soccer association was strapped for cash and there were no funds to keep buying new jerseys.’’
Jimmy Jenkins’ first experience with greyhounds was through earning pocket money as an 11-year-old in the early 1930s, walking a bitch named Bella Kelly for a neighbour.
“She won four races on the od Wollongong track, which had an outside lure in those days, as did Wentworth Park,’’ Jenkins said.
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Being power-walked through Botany Bay’s saltwater for three months in June, July and August gave the then unraced Kazmic’s Revenge the foundation to enable him to win his maiden race at Bulli last Wednesday in a slick 22.64.
Kazmic’s Revenge is trained by Steve Lambley, who adopted similar tactics with his former top notch middle distance dog, Clark No Ee, a Canberra Capital 600m Championship winner in 2010.
“I have a good opinion of Kazmic’s Revenge and although the Bulli race was only 400m he will run 520m on his head,’’ Lambley said.
“He trialled 24.82 at Lithgow before he raced and 10 days before the Bulli win he was a good thing beaten at Goulburn when he finished third, beaten two lengths, after coming out 10 lengths behind the field.
“I had $400 on him at $3 at Goulburn but unfortunately only placed $50 each-way on him at $6.20 at Bulli, although I did manage to jag the first four in his race.
“Before I began trialling or racing Kazmic’s Revenge I spent three months toughening him up and getting him fit power walking him through the water at Botany.
“One day we were accompanied by some horses from Gai Waterhouse’s stables and when their attendants commented that he must be a good greyhound to get that sort of treatment, they were surprised when I point out he was an unraced pup.’’
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Set It Off has the pace to overcome box five and win tonight’s Ladbrokes 1-2 Wins Final (520m) at Wentworth Park.
Trained by Bobby Hodges, a protégé of legendary trainer Ken Cheetham, Set It Off dwelt at the start in her heat but showed dazzling speed to lead at the catching pen before establishing a massive break in the middle stages.
In the straight the early effort told and she faded to win by only a head but only needs a reasonable getaway tonight to lead throughout.
