Peter Neilson, who had Fab Surfy in Saturday night's top grade race at Wentworth Park, holds a unique training record that is unlikely to ever be equalled.
Apart from being the only trainer to have held a licence in all three codes, Neilson once trained a thoroughbred, a pacing and a greyhound winner on the same day.
"I had winners at Broadmeadow (Newcastle) horses and Taree dogs on a Saturday afternoon and on the same night won a race at Newcastle trots,'' Neilson said.
The father of leading Queensland harness racing trainer-driver MATTHEW Neilson, Peter began his racing career as a trainer with horses before he branched out into greyhounds.
"I always had ponies as a kid and at 14 I began training pacers at Maitland,'' Neilson said.
"A few years later I was training pacers and thoroughbreds but added greyhounds to my interest around 25 years ago.
"The best racehourse I trained was Muckadilla, who won at CANTERBURY, while More Mel, who won several races at Harold Park, was my best pacer.
"In my most successful period training pacers I managed to defeat Dick Osborn to win the Newcastle district premiership, and Dick used to win the title nearly every year.
"But during that period I also owned a few greyhounds, which were trained for me by Ray Bruderlin.
"Then, when I took up training greyhounds, my son MATTHEW would exercise them before he went to school but later he gravitated into the harness racing business."
Neilson still breaks in pacers but at the moment trains only greyhounds.
"I have 10 dogs in work, most owned by the Spud Racing Syndicate, a group of four locals who have had greyhounds in my kennels for two decades," he said.
"The fastest greyhound I have trained was Finlay, a giant who tipped the scales at nearly 40 kilograms. He registered six wins and six placings on big tracks but broke down in his first trial around the tighter Wentworth Park circuit and never raced again.
"Don't Knocker, which I bought from Johnny Munro, won nine from 23 starts for me in 2011 and 2012.
"And between 2012 and 2014 Hot As Hell gave me 14 wins and 13 placings from 52 races.
"But the best money-spinner for me was Kimbro because she picked up a cheque nearly every time I took her to the races. She won 19 races and filled 21 placings between 2013 and 2015."
"Since I've been training greyhounds my only mentor has been Col Brosie, who I met when I was visiting the kennels of legendary Lochinvar trainer Ken Cheetham.
"While I am not an expert muscle injury checker my dogs always go down sound because my mate Robert Smith, who trained greyhounds like Miss Elly Mint and Lochinvar Marlow, goes over my team constantly.
"At present the best I have in work are Fab Surfy, who has won 15 races, Merry Cam, who has won seven, and Shak Retreat, who is on the way back after a spell and has had three wins and four placings from just 10 starts.
"Maitland is without doubt my favourite course and when it comes to the best greyhounds I have seen I can't go past How's The Fort, who was trained by Ken Cheetham.''
How's The Fort was judged the NSW Greyhound Of The Year in 1992 after winning the group one Peter Mosman Classic, Christmas Gift and WINTER Stake finals.
