When David Brokenshire allowed his five-year-old daughter Maddy select a pup on his behalf he showed good judgment because the little girl chose Estranged, who has become her father’s first TAB winner.
And Estranged, a burly 35.4kg son of El Grand Senor and Wacky Car Races, has a big future according to trainer Luke Azzopardi.
The dog began brilliantly to win over 400m at Gosford last Tuesday night, posting a slick first split of 10.60 on the way to a flying 22.89 win.
Estranged’s performance was remarkable considering the track had been drenched by heavy rain, prompting Azzopardi to comment: “This dog is outstanding.’’
David Brokenshire, a 25-year-old diesel technician who works in the coalmines at Boggabri, said yesterday that Estranged was the fourth greyhound he had owned.
“I’ve had a couple of country winners but Estranged is far and away the best and when he won at Gosford on January 20 he gave me my first TAB winner,’’ he said.
“I bought him at five months for $3500 from his breeder Adam Wade, who had won a stack of races with the previous litter whelped by Estranged’s dam Wacky Car Races.
“Adam wanted to retain the bitches from the litter so I was left to pick one out of the three dog pups.
“Maddy was with me and she nominated the big puppy which now races as Estranged, while Paul Wade, Adam’s brother backed her up, saying the same dog would also have been be his choice.
“I became interested in greyhounds a few years ago through betting on them and as I could not afford a racehorse I ventured into the dogs and got completely hooked.’’
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Adam Wade though has no regrets about selling Estranged, pointing out that a couple of the bitch puppies he kept from the El Grand Senor-Wacky Car Races litter whelped in June, 2013, had abundant talent.
“I won with Blue Tongue Blue over 400m at Richmond last Wednesday and while she only ran 22.96 the track was slow," Wade said. "She can go a lot faster than that."
“And the quickest bitch from the litter is still unraced due to injury.
“Wacky Car Races’ first litter, also by El Grand Senor, was whelped in November, 2011, and includes Army Surplus, Peta Pitstop and Bella Senora.
"They are all very smart.’’
Army Surplus has won five Wentworth Park races and has recorded a scorching 29.61 there, Peta Pitstop has won seven and run near record short course times at Bathurst and Richmond, while Bella Senora has won 13 races, two of them at Wentworth Park.
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Westend Diva, closely related to former champion stayer Forty Twenty, gave that dog’s central coast trainer Johnny Heard a welcome return to the winner’s circle at Gosford last Tuesday night.
After notching a pair of second placings Westend Diva opened her account on the sloshy track over 515m in 30.41 but Heard believes she could be at her best over 600m.
“Westend Diva is by Cosmic Rumble from Miss Westend, who was from the following litter after Forty Twenty,’’ Heard said.
“Although she is two years old Westend Diva’s racing has been restricted due to toe ligament problems.
“One of her toes is so bad it points north instead of going straight.
“Westend Diva’s sister, a little white bitch called simply Westend, is quicker but she was injured in finishing fifth at her only start.
“She also has toe problems but Westend has trialled 22.90 over the Gosford 400m trip for me so there is no doubt she can run.’’
Forty Twenty won 37 of 79 races between 2009 and 2011 and remains Heard’s best greyhound, just ahead of General Brett, a top class Harold and Wentworth Parks stayer he prepared in the 1970s.
