City star Black's A Marble has given trainer Merv Buckley a year to remember and now that greyhound's close relation Emily's A Marble seems poised to continue the veteran owner-trainer-breeder's good fortune into 2016.
Black's A Marble, a son of Buckley's former brilliant bitch Cathy's Marble, who became "field shy'' after a fall, has won seven of 15 starts including two at Wentworth Park.
Last Thursday at Dapto Buckley produced Emily's A Marble, a half-sister to Cathy's Marble, for a brilliant debut win in a 520m maiden heat.
Emily's A Marble carved out the trip in 30.01, outstanding time for an unraced youngster who is just 21 months of age.
And Buckley has more excitement ahead as he believes Emily's A Marble's litter sister Megsy Marble is faster.
"Megsy Marble has not had a performance trial or a race because she has come in season,'' Buckley said.
"But she has beaten Emily's A Marble in each of their trials together.
"Whether she has the good race habits in a field of Emily's A Marble I don't yet know.
"Emily's A Marble does every thing right, she will run straight from the boxes to the first turn and then cross over to the fence when she is clear.
"She has a good turn of early pace.''
Buckley, a retired masseur, is not a "big time'' trainer but has had success for nearly 50 years.
The brother of Bruce Buckley, who trained 1988 Paws Of Thunder winner Grizzly Bear and of John Buckley, trainer of Wenworth Park winners Collision Blue and Black Glammer, Merv's best greyhound was Pleasure Mac.
"He won the 1968 Wyong Derby before breaking a leg and coming back to win another 15 races,'' Buckley recalled.
"And Pleasure Mac raced against the legendary Zoom Top several times up the straight at Richmond and finished in front of her every time.''
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Ada Mary pulled off a rare treble on Friday night when she took out the Newcastle Cup at The Gardens.
The super win added that silverware to her Sydney and Summer Cup wins at Wentworth Park this year.
Trained by Sharon Grey at Killabakh, north of Taree, Ada Mary scored her first long-distance win over 720m at Wentworth Park in April.
After that race Grey, a trainer for 17 years, said: "I was reasonably confident she would run the distance but you can never be sure.''
But leading trainer Jason Mackay remarked astutely at the time: "Sharon said Ada Mary was really puffing when she got to the catching pen and that is usually a good sign. "It indicates she was chasing keenly and had further improvement in her.''
How right he was, with Ada Mary's remarkable year since also including a placing behind the great Sweet It Is in the Group 1 Topgun Stayers in Melbourne.
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Tuesday night's Gosford meeting will decide whether Keep Calm, who scored his 31st win at Dapto on Thursday night, starts in Gosford's Group 2 Woy Woy Poultry Gold Cup or targets the Bathurst Cup.
Keep Calm, who covered the Dapto 520m in a blistering 29.66, is trained by Jake White for Greysynd Syndicate, prolific owners headed up by Warren Owen.
"Because Keep Calm is four years old his owners were about to retire him but when he ran second to Paloma Lago at Wentworth Park on December 2 they decided to keep him in work,'' White said.
"The syndicate has never had a greyhound win more than 33 races so they wanted Keep Calm to beat that tally and he is well on the way now,'' White said.
Keep Calm, who races best when drawn wide, had box seven at Dapto and will start from box six at Gosford tomorrow night.
"He is partial to Gosford because last month he led all the way in 29.98 at his first look at the track,'' White said.
"But he is in a hot field this week and will be against top notchers in the Cup there so I'll wait until after tomorrow night before deciding whether to aim for that race or head to Bathurst, as each race is on at around the same time.''
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Everyone's favourite greyhound Watto Lotto, who had 135 races for 25 wins and 52 placings, is due to become a father on Christmas Eve.
"Watto'' as he is known to trainer John Callaughan and his wife Sue, won at Wentworth Park at his 100th start and his mating to Just For Show, who won five races and was a Wenty placegetter, is set to produce the dog's first litter.
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Black Bear Lee's win in Saturday night's Group 3 John Stollery Memorial Christmas Gift was timely as the dog's mother Paua Of Love whelped a litter of 11, comprising eight bitches and three dogs, last Wednesday night.
Sire of the regally-bred puppies is Head Bound, a half brother to the immortal Brett Lee.
