Rodney O’Brien will live the dreams of battlers everywhere when he heads to the boxes for Saturday night's Ladbrokes Golden Easter Egg heats.
The backyard hobby trainer and former truck driver, who trains out of his suburban Blacktown home, rugs up his greyhound She’s Grand in the $250,000-to-the-winner series at Wentworth Park.
Usually found battling it out at regional tracks, unheralded She’s Grand earned an invite to the Golden Easter Egg after winning a prelude of the three-week series last month.
O’Brien, who was forced to retire from work after suffering a serious hand injury in the mid-1990s, underwent heart surgery last year and said watching his greyhound win the prelude had been almost literally heart-stopping.
“It was so exciting,” he said. “I’ve been told to quieten down (since my operation) but I think my heart was going a thousand miles an hour watching her.
“I was just hanging on to the TV screen and saying, ‘come on darling’.
“Being in the Golden Easter Egg heats is what we all dream about, so it was a great evening.”
She’s Grand, who tones up for races with regular walks around the Blacktown neighbourhood, warmed up for the Golden Easter Egg by winning at Goulburn this week but faces a host of classy Victorian greyhounds in tonight’s heat.
O’Brien has big plans if he was able to achieve a dream win in this year’s Golden Easter Egg final, which takes place after the heats and semi finals on Easter Saturday, April 15.
“I’ve just turned 72 and I’ve been squirreling money away to by a camper van to catch up with relatives around the country,” he said. “I’d get a pretty decent one if we won the Golden Easter Egg.
“Realistically it’s a dream but I know two things – she’ll put in for me and she’ll get a cuddle, whatever the result.”
The majority of Australia’s best greyhounds feature in tonight’s 10 heats at Wentworth Park.
NSW superstar Ando’s Mac, who won last year’s Group 1 Melbourne Cup and has won more than $600,000 in prizemoney, is the current favourite to win the Golden Easter Egg final, with TAB pricing him at $13 in its all-in market.
For Wentworth Park Saturday fields, form and expert picks, click here.
