Christine Oldfield, who has been among NSW greyhound racing's most successful trainers for more than 30 years, became "addicted'' to the sport as a teenager when she travelled by public transport from her family's home at Kingsgrove to enjoy weekly visits to Wentworth Park.
While she has never trained a big team for wealthy owners, the Appin-based Oldfield's success with the likes of NOVEMBER PRINCE, November Storm, November Gandhi, November Sunset, Spring Secret, Malfoy and Spring Gun is testament to her ability.
"I loved greyhound racing so much that at 15 I seldom missed a Wenty meeting," she said.
"My love of greyhounds came through my uncle Bill Timmins, who was a top trainer based at Lochinvar, in the Hunter Valley.
"Bill trained the outstanding Harold Park sprinters November's Babe and Dick's Gem and from the age of seven or eight I would write to him before the school holidays asking if I could come and stay at his place and help him with his greyhounds.
"Bill, my mother Doreen's brother, didn't have much time for kids but because of my attachment to greyhounds I got on famously with him.
"Eventually he presented me and my husband Ron, who I married in 1979, with November Lilly and she became a really good galloper and the foundation bitch for all our best greyhounds for years to come. She won a Maiden Final at Harold Park in race record time and won six of 19 starts before going to stud where she became a terrific producer.
"Ron trained Forest King to win at Harold Park and Wentworth Parks and win eight from 11 starts at three consecutive Grafton July carnivals and that dog and November Lilly were our first top liners.
"November Lilly's first litter to Tangaloa included NOVEMBER PRINCE, who won the 1985 Tweed Heads Galaxy and November Raider, an outstanding sprinter.
"To BILLY BALE she produced November Pet, the dam of Centrefold Pet, whose daughter November Miss won 19 races and in retirement became the dam of November Victory and November Fury, who each won 29 races.
"Others from this line included November Gandhi, who won 24 races including seven at Wentworth Park, Maitland Gold Cup winner November Storm and the 1992 Group 1 National Futurity winner November Sunset.
"November Sunset bred on as well and produced November Dice, who won 13 from 24 starts and became the dam of Spring Secret, winner of 18 races, along with November Gazelle, who won 18 and produced November Linen, winner of 10 from 43 starts.''
It hasn't all been good fortune for the Oldfields and their "November'' breed as November Earl won the second running of Greens Supercoat Classic at Dapto only to miss out on the $100,000 winner's cheque when the final was declared a "no race.''
In more recent times Christine Oldfield trained Spring Smile to win 21 from 52 appearances while for Sydney's most successful owner Marty Hallinan she trained the marvellously versatile Malfoy.
Malfoy displayed his remarkable versatility by winning the 2004 Brisbane Cup (525m) and a year later starring in Melbourne where he won the 600m Rookie Rebel and 725m Gleeson & Tonta (now called the Stayers' Cup).
And in 2011 Spring Gun, which Oldfield trained for western districts breeder Greg Board, won the group 1 Vic Peters Classic in 29.75, just .02 outside Collision's race record set in 2003.
Three years ago Shanghai Rose won four races at Wentworth Park for Oldfield while she steered the promising Nobu to 29.91 and 29.96 wins at Dapto in November and January as well as taking out the 2015 297m Dapto Puppy Auction Classic with Sokyo, who has since posted three wins, three seconds and three thirds from 15 Wentworth Park outings.
While Bulli has been a kind track to Christine Oldfield it is not necessarily her pet course.
"Wherever I can win a race is my favourite,'' she quips.
But she has one major regret.
"The silliest thing Ron and I did was to stop breeding our own greyhounds,'' she said. "As we were always intending to retire within a couple of years we saw no point in breeding more litters but here we are still going.''
Apart from her five race dogs, Christine is typical of most trainers in that she has three "pensioner pets'' at home.
"November Savanna, who won 12 races and November Roman, who won 19, are still hale and hearty at over 13 years of age while November Poppy, who we should have bred from after she won five of 38 starts, is eight years old,'' said Christine.
