Haddon Rig Merino Stud is the world's most famous sheep station, but the 60,000 acre property at Warren in western NSW was also the catalyst for Neil Falk becoming a greyhound trainer.
Falk, who had Smashing Sally racing at Wentworth Park last Saturday night, was a 24-year-old shearer living at Warren when he became friends with Ron Waugh, the gardener at Haddon Rig.
"Ron's hobby was training greyhounds and I bought my first greyhound, Just Smiley, from him for $100,'' Falk, who turns 72 next month, explained.
"Just Smiley won six races so naturally I bought another dog from Ron and Proud Sheba won five from 10 starts before her career ended prematurely when she was injured.
"I was a shearer at Warren and Wilcannia until I switched and began working in the mines when I was 33.
"When I became a miner I moved to Camden but my father Snow, who was also training greyhounds by then, continued with the dogs at Warren until he was 75.
"My first city winner was Ivory Lace, a stayer in the mid 1980s, who won twice at Harold Park and scored two wins at Wentworth Park.
"I was privileged to see her racing against National Lass, one of the greatest greyhounds I have seen.
"A favourite of mine was Ivory Time, who was undefeated in marathon races at SINGLETON, Wentworth Park and at Newcastle's Beaumont Park track.
"Wenty marathons used to begin from the 520 metre boxes and after reaching the winning post the dogs would do two laps of the track.
"Ivory Time took the equivalent of nine lengths off the Wentworth Park marathon record, was 10/1 on favourite ($1.10) when she won at SINGLETON, and in her Newcastle win she defeated Noosa Seagull, a winner of 33 races.
"Noosa Seagull was owned by Kevin Maloney, now proprietor now of the Segenhoe thoroughbred stud.
"Between October and November 2006 I won five successive races, including three in a row at Wentworth Park, with Black Lodge.
"Soon after Smashing Jen won nine races for me."
Falk then quit training to care for his late wife Beryl for about four years after she suffered a stroke.
During that time he sent Smashing Jen to Linda Britton in Western Australia, where she won another nine races.'
Most trainers have a hard luck story but it is hard to top the ill-fortune which befell Falk concerning Smashing Sally, who was poised to become a Wentworth Park Group race winner.
After beating Group 1 National Futurity winner Rue De Kahn at The Gardens, Smashing Sally defeated Jason Mackay's Wentworth Park champion Zipping Willow in the Richmond Oaks in May 2014.
But a month later Smashing Sally was involved in a bad fall at Wentworth Park which was to ruin her chances of claiming major titles.
"Following the fall Smashing Sally managed to beat Whittaker in 29.70 at Dapto but the heavy tumble made wary of other dogs, especially at Wentworth Park where she has subsequently filled only a couple of second placings,'' Falk said.
These days Neil Falk has only Smashing Sally, Smashing Sam, a winner of four races, and Bulga Sprite, who has won three races including one at Wentworth Park, in work.
Long retired from the mines, Falk trains on five acres at Tahmoor and is looking forward to securing his first litter from Smashing Sally.
Hopefully one of her offspring will be in the class of Fernando Bale or National Lass, ranked by Neil Falk as the best greyhounds he has watched in his 48 years in the sport.
