DENIS Hogan, whose chaser Bobby Bant went within 0.09 of the Wentworth Park 280m record earlier this month, could well have become a jockey instead of a greyhound trainer.
When DENIS, now 71, left school, he was so small he became an apprentice jockey, despite never having been on a horse’s back.
“As a 17-year-old I was tiny, around 30kg, so it seemed a good idea to go into the stables and I became apprenticed to Baden Hasler, a reasonably successful trainer at Randwick,’’ Hogan recalled.
“I quickly learned to ride and enjoyed my time in the stables Because it was a golden era of racing.
“The leading apprentices were Bernie Howlett and Ron Wilton while the top jockeys included George Moore, Athol Mulley and Neville Sellwood.
“I was in the jockeys’ room one day waiting to go out onto the track when Moore and Mulley got invoved in one of their famous feuds.
“Increasing weight forced me to give up my ambition to ride winners after the closest I had got was riding a horse called Aglitter into second place at Kembla Grange at my final ride."
Hogan started a working life away from the track but soon greyhounds came calling.
“When I left the stables I got a job at a Building Society but soon joined the public service, where I eventually became property manager for the Department of Housing," he said.
“But at Abbotsford Primary School and at Leichhardt Secondary School one of my classmates and best friends had been Kenny Geddes, who became a highly successful greyhound breeder, trainer, committeeman and who established the Petbarn pet shop chain.
“Even at school Kenny was keen on greyhounds and obviously his enthusiasm rubbed off a bit on me Because by 1970 I had greyhounds.
“He was my mentor and my first winner was Sir Telga, a son of Laurie and Kevin Lewry’s 1967 National Sprint Championship winner Meteor Paso.
“Sir Telga’s first win at MUDGEE was a buzz but when that dog also gave me my first city winner, at Wentworth Park in March, 1971, that was a huge thrill and remains the most exciting moment I’ve had in the sport."
Hogan soon started enjoying some more memorable moments.
“After Sir Telga I trained Prince Devil, a son of the champion bitch Diamond Au Gogo, and he won at Harold and Wentworth Parks and at Richmond," he said.
“Phoenix Band, who was by Markaneve, won eight races at Lithgow and qualified for two Golden Muzzle finals there while Biscuit Burner won for me at Bathurst and Richmond before going across to WA trainer Linda Britton who had plenty of success with him.
“Tricky Stan, a dog I purchased from Marty Hallinan, won at Bathurst and over the staying journey at Richmond and looked to have a bright future until he broke a hock.
“But the best greyhound I have trained was Real Beauty, who won eight races and won over three distances at Richmond, the 535m, 618m and 717m trips, as well as scoring over 720m at Wentworth Park.
“Tricky Stan breaking a hock was disappointing but the worst setback I’ve had was when the career of another of my dogs, Royal Sniper, ended through a similar injury.
“Royal Sniper was a grass track specialist and won eight cup races and finals on the turf surface at Taree, as well as running several placings in the city.
“Bobby Bant is the pick of the three I train at present but he is only a short course dog and can’t run 520 metres."
Hogan is now retired and with the help of his family he can devote his attention to greyhound racing.
“Because the Department of Housing had a terrific superannuation scheme I was able to retire 11 years ago, at 60, to concentrate on training," he said.
“I have only ever had two or three in work but even so, like most trainers, I could not have got anywhere without the constant help, support and encouragement of my wife Kay.
“We celebrated our golden wedding anniversary 50 years of marriage this month and our son Wayne, who drives a bus for aged care facilities, is also a hobby trainer.
“Wayne won a 400m race at Richmond in December with Major History who paid $44.70 on the TAB.’’
DENIS Hogan’s favourite tracks are Canberra and Richmond, while he rates the versatile 1960s champion Zoom Top and Rapid Journey, who earned $530,995 in the 1990s, when stakes were far inferior to today, as the best he has seen in his lengthy career on the track.
