Neal Gray, who ended a Wentworth Park drought of more than eight years when speedster New Direction led all the way last Wednesday night, could have become a top notch jockey if increasing weight had not forced him out of the saddle.
The trainer began his career as a jockey at the same time as legendary country horseman Robert Thompson and rode a winner and several placings before being forced to quit when only 16 years old.
"We grew up in Adamstown and from when I was 12 years old I worked at leading Newcastle trainer Max Lees' stables,'' Gray recalled. "My fatter would drop me off at the stables at 4.30am, I would do my chores there, go to school, then be back at Max Lees' place as soon as school finished for the day.
"At 15 I became apprenticed to Bob Clifford at Taree and I was the first to ride a horse on the newly rebuilt Taree racetrack.
"After a win and several placings, though, I began to grow and put on weight.
"So a year later I had to forget being a jockey and went back to working for the great Luskin Star's trainer Max Lees, before becoming foreman for Jimmy "Bub'' Johnstone, who trained the 1982 and 1983 Newmarket Handicaps winner, champion sprinter Razor Sharp.
"And I was Max Lees' foreman when he trained his first winner, Cardiff Prince, in a Corinthian Handicap at Randwick's Bank Holiday meeting.
"But I had mates with greyhounds and it wasn't long before I gravitated to the sport I've now been involved with for three decades.
"My friends and I owned a dog called Bone Lover, which was trained for us by Jock Bailey, and after I took up training them myself my first winner was Joel's Delight, at Muswellbrook 26 years ago.
"I then trained Our Pancho and Our Pancheeta to win a lot of races on Newcastle's old Beaumont Park track while I owned Magic Goddess, who became the grand-dam of Ferly Gain, one of the two best greyhounds I have raced.
"Ron Asquith, still a successful trainer, prepared Magic Goddess for me and when she went to stud she produced Bay Goddess, Ferly Gain's mother.
"Bay Goddess was trained for me by the late Duncan Dart, who taught me every thing I know about greyhounds.
"Duncan's nephew John Dart is now among Australia's leading trainers and if ever there was a problem I couldn't solve with my dogs I would call on Duncan.
"I never went to a veterinary surgeon, like most people in the Newcastle area we would get Duncan Dart to make things right with our dogs by using his home-made remedies.
"It was through breeding a litter to the stud dog Tom's Crow with Bay Goddess that I obtained Ferly Gain, who had more natural ability than any greyhound I have raced.
"Ferly Gain won 14 of 23 races in 2007 and 2008.
"I also reared a litter of 10 puppies for the late trainer John Sweet and when he collected them he took nine and told me I could keep the other one.
"That 'other one' turned out to be Nova Surf, who became an outstanding performer, winning 23 of 45 starts between 2008 and 2010.
"I can't split Nova Surf and Ferly Gain, they were far and away the two best I have trained.
"Nova Surf was a fabulous 'get out and go' greyhound but while Ferly Gain did not possess Nova Surf's wonderful box manners she had more pure talent.''
Gary said Maitland was his favourite racing venue.
"As an overall track which gives every dog a chance Maitland would be my choice,'' Gray said.
"When it comes to the best greyhounds I've seen I can't go past Worth Doing, who won the 1989 National Derby in race record time and was voted Greyhound of the Year during the same period.
"More recently Fernando Bale is unequalled.''
