Robert and Natina Howard, whose highly promising greyhound Chevy Prince scored another win at Wentworth Park last Saturday night, are each children of greyhound owner-trainers and fittingly, met and fell in love at a racetrack.
In 2013 they bought the Hunter Valley's Keinbah Trial Track where Robert drives the lure and Natina operates the starting boxes.
But while they are currently enjoying a rollercoaster ride of success with Chevy Prince, owned by Natina and trained by Robert, they each have lengthy backgrounds in the sport.
"Natina's parents had greyhounds and my mum Pat and father Cliff were also owners,'' Robert recalled. "Dad owned Bluette Babe who won a maiden at SINGLETON on Boxing Day 1964, and was the first greyhound trained by Cliffy Clark, who won 10 Wentworth Park races a few years back with Boss Number One, and is still a trainer.
"I really got into greyhounds through my sister Susan being married to the racecaller John McDermott.
"After securing my handler's licence aged 16 John promised me that the first greyhound I took to the boxes for them would be a winner. When their greyhound Betty's Choice won from box one at CESSNOCK there was nobody as proud as I was leading her back to the kennels.
"One of the best greyhounds of that period was the prolific Harold Park winner Pivot's Victory and his breeder Noel Atkins gave me that dog's sister Pivot Shoes to train, saying it was time I learned the ropes with a reasonably handy greyhound.
"Pivot Shoes won nine races and was placed twice at Harold Park while around the same time Natina was having success with her own greyhound Patrol Master, a top grader at CESSNOCK, Maitland and SINGLETON.
"When we mated Pivot Shoes with Billy Davies' Newcastle record holder Billy Glider she produced Pat Helen, who won nine races and became the dam of Downtown Fox, a very good greyhound for us.
"Downtown Fox, by NEW FOX, won three successive Wentworth Park races in 1999 and won 13 of just 37 starts before breaking down.
"Like everyone we've had our share of injury setbacks and while Zipup gave us our biggest thrill by reaching the semi-finals of the 2001 Paws Of Thunder he was also the source of our biggest disappointment when injury forced his premature retirement.
"But he won 13 races, including four of his first nine Wentworth Park starts, which was remarkable considering he was blind in one eye.
"Because of Zipup's impaired vision we had been advised to restrict him to grass surfaces and to tracks he was familiar with but he adapted to all courses.
"A bit over a decade later we won 19 races with Zipper, who had brilliant early speed and was placed at Wentworth Park, while we also won nine races with a big track specialist, Changing Tempo.
"Other good greyhounds we have trained include Chief Rolex, a short course specialist who won 17 races and Heart Song, who won 15 races, regularly breaking the 26 seconds barrier for the CESSNOCK 457m trip, time which was rarely equalled in the early 1990s."
Howard was employed with explosive companies operating in coal mines for 23 years but retired in 2010, before taking over the Keinbah Trial Track in 2013.
"We have our racing kennels there and have six in work at present with another six coming through and a couple of litters of pups, aged 11 and 12 months respectively.
While the Howards have seldom been without a handy greyhound they could be on the verge of Group race success after acquiring Chevy Prince in September.
"Natina told me she needed a new car but I bought Chevy Prince instead,'' Robert said. "I came home and told her I had bought her a Chevy, only this one had four legs instead of four wheels!''
The Howards' favourite tracks are Richmond and Bulli (''although it's a bit far for us to race at regularly'') while the fastest dogs they have seen are Brett Lee and the just retired Fernando Bale.
