Tullabung Rock led throughout to win his heat of the Graham Gibbons Memorial Maiden at Bulli last Friday after an exasperating sequence of setbacks that delayed his race debut by eight months.
The Neil Staines-trained dog made his first public appearance on May 31 when he won a 310m performance trial at Canberra.
He was then off the scene until July 26 when he won a 440m performance trial at Canberra.
After that he was sidelined until December 13 when he scored in a third performance trial over 310m at Canberra in a smart 17.88.
"Then I had to trial him again at Nowra on February 1 to make him eligible for Friday's Bulli heats and he won over 365m in a quick 20.60,'' trainer Staines said.
While he is a racetrack rookie, Tullabung Rock is a litter brother to the Judy Fisher-trained Dokmai, who has won nine of 19 races and who began her career last July.
"My dog's run of bad luck started when he escaped from the trailer bringing him to me from Victoria after he had been educated,'' Staines recalled.
"He had plenty of bumps and bruises after that and when he was okay again he kept splitting underneath his stopper bone.
"Although the Bulli final is not until Friday week that will suit Tullabung Rock as he goes well when his runs are spaced.''
Tullabung Rock covered the 472m in 26.49 in his heat win so has to "find'' some time if he is to match the other qualifying winners, the Shaun Evans-trained Lutiger (26.26) and Jason Mackay's Zipping Lilly (26.38) in the run-off.
Neil Staines also has Tullabung Honey, his Bulli winner's half-sister, on the way back.
Tullabung Honey is three years old but has had just 20 starts for eight wins, including a sizzling 29.77 performance at Wentworth Park.
"She broke down at Wenty on October 7 and then came in season so has not raced since,'' Staines said.
"But the Unibet Richmond Oaks heats are coming up on February 26 and that race, worth $36,000 to the final winner, looks perfect for her.''
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Sam Dart has been training greyhounds for only 12 months but the 25-year-old son of leading Northern Rivers conditioners Glenda and John Dart continues to compile an imposing record with his three dog team.
Zabaleta, the star of the Sam's kennel, took her record to a remarkably consistent 20 wins from 43 starts when she posted a fastest time of the night 23.64, winning over 411m at Casino on Friday.
Not to be outdone, mum Glenda won a 484m event later in the card with Movida, a litter brother to Dapto Puppy Auction Classic winner France Soir, who notched his third win from his past four appearances on Friday.
Meanwhile, Curious Style, trained by Glenda and John Dart, will be on trial for a trip to Wentworth Park when she exits box one over 420m at Lismore tomorrow (Tuesday) night.
"Curious Style has won two of her past six starts over 520m at Albion Park but her big asset is that she is very fast early,'' John Dart said.
"We think Wentworth Park would suit her so if she wins well at Lismore we plan on bringing her to Sydney for the Group 3 New Sensation series during next month's Golden Easter Egg carnival.''
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What an exciting middle distance and staying prospect is Kayla-Jane COLEMAN's Where Art Thou, who gave the Bulli 590m record a shake on Friday night.
Despite not hitting the front until the halfway mark, Where Art Thou bolted away to win by a big space in 33.19.
Those figures, recorded at her first middle distance test, were only .03sec outside the track record set by the Anthony Azzopardi-trained Shoulders on August 15.
But while Shoulders posted his record breaking time at his 34th start, Where Art Thou was making her only 12th appearance when she recorded her sensational figures.
Where Art Thou's Bulli win completed a big night for COLEMAN and her partner Shaun Evans, whose puppy Lutiger was fastest qualifier for the February 19 Graham Gibbons Memorial Maiden final.
