Knight Sprite, one of the most popular greyhounds to race over the past decade, has run his last race.
Owned and trained throughout his career by Gayle Masterson, of Hexham in the Hunter Valley, Knight Sprite (pictured) won 30 of 75 starts and earned $217,061 in stakes - not bad for a dog who cost just $1000 as a puppy.
"I had been hoping to nurse him through to having another crack at the Golden Easter Egg heats at Wentworth Park on April 1 but it was not to be,'' Masterson said.
"The final straw was when I galloped Knight Sprite on my local straight trial track at Redhead recently.
"H went like a rocket, as good as he has ever gone, but four days later, in a subsequent trial there, he had 'lost' three tenths of a second and pulled up lame.
"I figured that if Knight Sprite was going to pull up lame after a hit-out up the straight, imagine how he would be after a hard run around the circle.
"He deserves better than that and I didn't want him to retire as a shadow of his former self so I have pulled the pin.
"Knight Sprite has done me proud, being named the NSW Greyhound Breeders, Owners & Trainers Association dog of the year in 2015 and 2016 in both the open category and in the Hunter region section.
"Ollie, as he is known at home, is named after our grandson, and I can't split several of his performances as his best.
"He hit the ground running, winning over 457m at Wauchope in September 2014, at his first start, and causing me to shake my head in disbelief when he clocked a blistering 25.53.
"Also memorable was his win by 11 lengths at Gosford in March 2015, when he recorded 29.51.
"Then when he won the Gosford Cup in January 2016, he had Eva Diva on his hammer all the way, while he had the great Brad Hill Billy on his tail when he took out the Richmond Derby in 30.58 two months later.
"And although he didn't win it, Knight Sprite's effort to finish third to Moreira in last year's Golden Easter Egg was among his best efforts.
"I love him so much, and have registered him as a stud dog so if any breeders want to use him, Knight Sprite is available.''
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Former harness racing trainer Andrew Crouch, who switched to greyhounds nearly three years ago, landed his first winning double at Dapto on Thursday night.
Crouch, who trains a small team at South Windsor with son Adam, scored with Big Butters in a fast 29.93sec and former WA greyhound Bowlin' Spinnaz in 30.22.
And while Bowlin' Spinnaz's time was slower she was equally impressive as she bungled the start completely.
"They were both relatively new to 520 metres so dad and I were very pleased at how well they went,'' Adam Crouch said.
"Both greyhounds are still under two years old so while we are in no hurry we do intend bringing them to Wentworth Park soon.''
The Crouches have already experienced success in town with My Name's Sandy and Cosmic Tyson.
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Glamorous Opal lived in the shadow of her famous litter brother Black Magic Opal when she was on the racetrack but she looks set to make her mark in the breeding barn.
While Black Magic Opal, who won 35 of 46 races, has taken off instantly in retirement, becoming the sire of Silver Chief Classic winner Lightning Frank, Glamorous Opal's offspring are also showing great promise.
Glamorous Opal was no slouch as a racer, winning 13 races, but her first litter to Barcia Bale includes Big Red Opal, who led throughout in 25.33 at Maitland on Thursday, Chimbu Park, winner of two races, and the exciting Black Jack Opal, winner of five from seven outings.
Big Red Opal and Black Jack Opal are trained by their owner-breeder Les Hudson, who bred Black Magic Opal before selling the champion sprinter to Victorian interests.
