When prolific winner Domino Vitali whelped a litter to Collision in May 2013, breeder Troy Harley was stunned to discover a blue puppy who appeared to have been born with five legs.
But closer examination of the new born youngster revealed she had the requisite four legs, with the 'fifth appendage' being a tiny stub of a tail, complete with a little right angled hook at the end.
Last Wednesday night the puppy, now racing as Domino Petacchi, scored her first Wentworth Park win for trainer Ron Bell and Harley, now the Chief Executive Officer of Victoria's Bendigo Greyhound Track.
"Even now, while she is fully grown and races at over 28kg, her tail is only about six inches long," Bell said. "When she wags it, with the little right angled hook on the end, it is quite funny."
Domino Pettachi, who Bell named after a character in a James Bond movie, tends to find trouble in her races.
Maybe it is because she is virtually tail-less, with some believing greyhounds use their tails like a rudder, helping to steer their way around the track.
"The jury is still out on that theory but either way Domino Petacchi can run," Bell said. "She has now scored nine wins and eight placings from 31 starts.''
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This long weekend's Coonamble Greyhound Racing Carnival won't be quite the same with Australia's biggest greyhound bookmaker Brian Cleaver announcing he would not be fielding for the first time in the meeting's 43-year history.
The annual October festival begins with a twilight card on Friday, extends through Friday night, Saturday morning and afternoon and winds up with morning and afternoon fixtures on Monday, October 5.
Cleaver, a 75-year-old shearing contractor, said yesterday that his pal John Summers, who has shared his betting operation in recent years, would be attending but he won't be there.
"For many years I held close to $200,000 over the carnival and took plenty of $5000 wagers,'' Cleaver said.
"There was always fierce betting on the maiden races and I once held $20,000 on a single maiden event.''
Despite Cleaver's absence there will be at least eight bookmakers fielding at Coonamble, where the highlight is Monday's 310m Global HR Pty Ltd Maiden Classic final, worth $10,000 to the winner.
Previous winners of the event include the Ken Cheetham-trained MYOCARD in 1987, who went on to break track records on the TAB provincial circuit, and in 2001 Dean Swain's Unopposed, who was a Group race performer on metropolitan tracks.
Dubbo's Charmaine Roberts has been the most successful trainer in Maiden Classic history, winning with Princess Keeping in 2005, Aces Keeping in 2009 and Maloo Keeping in 2013.
She is nominating six greyhounds in a bid to land her fourth Coonamble Maiden Classic this year.
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Anthony Azzopardi has trained a swag of Group race winners and finalists but believes injuries alone have robbed Adam Handler of a possible chance to join that elite group.
Adam Handler led throughout to narrowly defeat this year's Group 1 National Futurity winner Zipping Midge in a 520m third and fourth grade event at Wentworth Park last Wednesday.
"He relished having box eight because when he draws inside, even box one, Adam Handler tends to dwell at the start,'' Azzopardi said. "While he got a bit tired on Wednesday night, he was coming back to 520m racing after tearing a hip support in a race at Warragul on June 23.
"The veterinary surgeon did a great job stitching up the injury and amazingly Adam Handler was ready to run again in three or four weeks. Just to be safe, though, I postponed Adam Handler's comeback for eight weeks because the dog has been so injury prone.
"He is three years old but injury setbacks have restricted him to only 39 starts.
"While he could still win a big race, Adam Handler would have been sure to figure in a Group final or two if he was six months younger.
"No matter what the future holds for him, he has got a home with me and my family for life, because he has won us all over with his gentle, beautiful nature.''
