Watto Lotto, who almost certainly ranks with Bessy Boo as the pin-up greyhound of Wentworth Park regulars, has been retired.
The popular greyhound, who has raced more than 130 times, has finished his racing days after a super career on the track.
"Watto Lotto has not been the same since he was attacked by another dog in the catching pen after he finished second at Wenty on May 30," trainer John Callaughan said.
"In three races since he has finished down the course. He wasn't putting the same zest into his racing.
"I could have given him a spell and tried to bring him back but he is too old for that.
"Anyway, old Watto has earned his retirement.
"He wanders around the property my wife Sue and I have in a pair of especially made pyjamas to protect him from the cold weather.''
Watto Lotto faced the starter 135 times for 25 wins, 24 seconds, 28 thirds and earned $107,210 in stakes.
He began racing on Christmas Eve 2011, did not win until his seventh attempt, and last raced on July 11.
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Sky Racing greyhound caller Luke Marlow was seen in a new role at Lithgow on Saturday as the owner of Spring Girl.
The greyhound wasa recent $700 bargain buy for the broadcaster.
Marlow was trackside to watch Spring Girl score for trainer John Ayoub, who also won at the non-TAB track on Saturday with Stolen Kisses, who was having her first start since May 2.
Stolen Kisses, a litter sister to Ayoub's smart Wentworth Park sprinter Dear Darcey, has had a chequered career, having a metacarpal injury and then meeting with a race fall.
Dear Darcey has not raced since finishing second to Bessy Boo in a Wentworth Park Free-For-All early in July.
The dog has been out with two torn pin muscles but according to Ayoub is back trialling and will be in action again shortly.
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Working 12-hour shifts at the huge Manildra flour mill in western NSW restricts Craig Tuntler's opportunities to train his greyhounds so he was entitled to be jubilant about landing his first winning double at Richmond last Wednesday.
Tuntler, 38, scored in a 400m maiden with DAVE's Legacy while that dog's litter sister Rusty Find defeated her kennelmate and brother Rusty Gold in a 330m maiden at the same meeting.
"I was especially thrilled to win with DAVE's Legacy because I named him after my late grandfather DAVE Tipping," Tuntler said. "He died when I was 13.
"DAVE Tipping was a successful greyhound trainer on the south coast at Huskisson and fuelled my love of the sport when I was a kid.
"I got my first greyhound when I was 17 but received a kick along when I bought a greyhound named Absolute Osti as a three-month-old puppy.
"She was by History Lesson from the great producer Stunning Osti, and I purchased her from the famous breeder Teddy Doss.
"Absolute Osti could run like the wind but after each race would be holding an offside leg up in the air so she could only race every fortnight at the most.
"She managed to win seven of just 18 starts and from her I bred Angelic Osti, who won four races when trained for me by Darren Sultana.
"Angelic Osti is the mother of the greyhounds I raced at Richmond while I am also training Klemmer, who is having a performance trial at Bathurst today, and the unraced Airlie Rocket, from the same litter.
"But DAVE's Legacy is the quickest because naturally I wanted to name the best in the litter after my grandad.''
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Another hobby trainer to win a double in the past few days is western districts supermarket manager Len Haaring, who scored at Maitland with Pure Arrogance and Lenny Enlim.
Haaring's Maitland winners were whelped in April 2012, by Kayla Enlim, and the Maitland double took the tally of just four members of the litter to 84 victories.
Pure Arrogance has won 16 of 59 starts and Lenny Enlim 11 from 34 while their litter brother Most Arrogant has saluted the judge in 22 of 72 outings.
Kayla's Tiger has won 15 of 83 appearances and Isabel Enlim, the star of the bunch, has had 78 races for 20 wins.
The strike rate and the on-going durability of this quintet are a tribute to Haaring's skill with the lead and collar.
"Lenny Enlim has been lightly raced due to injuries while the only one from the litter not to do well on the track is Stunning Girl, because she broke her wrist as a pup,'' Haaring said.
"So I bred from her and she has a litter of four-month-old puppies by Shakey Jakey.''
