The racing career of multiple Group winner Tommy Brislane has come to an end with the Steve White-trained star being retired to stud after injuring a hock in a trial last Friday morning.
Tommy Brislane, whelped in September 2012, won 15 of only 25 starts, with nearly all of his wins being up against top drawer company.
His career highlight came when he took out the Group 1 Dapto Megastar in 2014, which was a first Group 1 victory for his owner Geoff Slattery.
He also took out the 2014 edition of the Group 2 Bob Payne Spring Sprint at Wentworth Park and qualifiied for the Group 1 Peter Mosman Classic in the same year in which he finished fifth behind Bessy Boo.
Following his white hot form in 2014, Tommy Brislane spent nearly a year on the sidelines with numerous injuries before returning in October 2015 in which he duly saluted at Warragul.
Tommy Brislane went on to qualify for the Cranbourne Cup final in January this year before last week's injury.
Aged just under three-and-a-half years of age, White said Tommy Brislane was racing as good as ever prior to his career-ending injury.
"He had won four of his nine starts since I relocated to Warragul, Victoria and was flying,'' White said.
"I was set to bring him back to NSW for the Cyril Rowe Gold Cup heats at Bulli and then have a crack at the Golden Easter Egg with him.
"But this latest setback has ended those plans and Tommy Brislane will be ready for stud duties in six to eight weeks' time.''
White still plans returning to Wentworth Park for the Golden Easter Egg with Rare Pearl, who he says has "grown a leg" in Melbourne.
"Rare Pearl has had two wins and four placings from his past six starts and is going better than ever,'' White added.
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When bush trainer Barry Evans landed a winning double at Maitland last Thursday with Awesome Signs and Frosty Moments he enjoyed success with the fourth generation of greyhounds he and his wife Roz have trained.
Awesome Signs won over 400m in 22.74 while Frosty Moments scored over 450m in 25.40, yet their dam, Iza Woman, had only two starts without winning.
"Iza Woman showed outstanding promise when being educated but was retired while still a maiden and our intention was to keep her as a pet,'' Roz Evans said.
"But a close friend promised to buy a couple of pups from us if we bred from her so we mated her with Lochinvar Marlow and the two Maitland winners are the result.
"There are seven in the litter and five have above average ability while the other two will win races.
"Iza Woman is a daughter of Be Me Girl, who has been a great producer for Barry and I, while Be My Girl's mother was Beki Coal, a very good greyhound.
"Beki Coal was out of Serious Moments, which we also trained.''
Barry and Roz Evans train on a half acre at Moonbi, 15 minutes from Tamworth, and have had outstanding success at Wentworth Park with Two Romeo Road, a son of Beki Coal, and a pair of Be My Girl's offspring, Little Ed and Yo Cool Maxie.
Two Romeo Road had 58 starts for 19 wins and 22 placings, mostly in top grade, while Little Ed was a track record holder who won 17 of 48 outings from 2011 to 2013.
And brilliant front runner Yo Cool Maxie, a daughter of Big Daddy Cool and Be My Girl, faced the starter 110 times for 34 wins and 33 placings.
"We did not breed from Yo Cool Maxie, instead finding a good home for her as a pet, and while we have not used Little Ed at stud, we have taken a couple of straws from him which are available if anyone cared to use them,'' Roz Evans said.
"This current litter will be the last we will breed because Barry and I have bred and trained greyhounds all our lives and that is a seven days a week commitment.
"When Awesome Signs, Frosty Moments and company finish racing, we plan to take our first holiday together.''
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Owners CHRIS Nutt and Shaun Evans have paid tribute to retired trainer Wally Lutiger by naming a smart unraced 21 months old greyhound after the man who prepared the 2003 NSW Greyhound of the Year Kumta Chase.
Lutiger the dog made his first public appearance in a 472m performance trial at Bulli on Friday and sped over the course in top grade time of 26.23.
Appropriately, Lutiger was sired by Fancy Dean, the best greyhound his namesake ever trained.
Fancy Dean won 29 of 85 races in 2011 and 2012, earning $157,000 in stakes.
"This young dog goes pretty good so CHRIS and I thought, that as he was sired by Fancy Dean, we would name him after the great man,'' Evans, who trains Lutiger, said.
Sadly, ill health forced Wally Lutiger, who also won the 2001 Summer Cup with Yaroun Express, to retire from training three years ago.
Swiss-born Lutiger was trained as a pastry cook but like many migrants worked on the Hydro Electric Scheme when he arrived in Australia.
He used to quip that all he learned while toiling on the Snowy Mountains project, which began in 1949 and took 25 years to complete, was "how to bet.''
