Years of hard work may pay off for Neil Staines when he lines up in this Saturday night’s Group 1 Ladbrokes Golden Easter Egg at Wentworth Park.
The former sheep shearer from Yass in the NSW Southern Tablelands, who has only been training full-time for six years, has Slamming Thunder jumping from box five in the $250,000-to-the-winner race – NSW’s biggest race on the calendar.
Slamming Thunder is a $15 chance with TAB for Saturday night’s race after qualifying with a valiant second place finish behind Up Hill Jill in his semi final last weekend.
Staines has won a swag of country cups and is one of NSW’s most respected trainers, but said reaching a first Golden Easter Egg decider was a new career highlight.
“It’s a dream come true,” he said. “The Golden Easter Egg is what all trainers in NSW live for winning.
“You look at your pups playing in the yard and think, ‘one of those might win a Golden Easter Egg one day’.
“It’s hugely rewarding to be in a race like this”
While Staines is not ignoring the enormity of the task facing Slamming Thunder if he is to win on Saturday, the trainer does not believe his greyhound is there to purely make up the numbers.
“It’ll be tough, but he’s in there with a chance,” Staines said.
“The Thompson greyhounds (Big Flood in box four and Aqua Cheetah in box six) haven’t been great early so far in the series, so maybe that will give him the room he needs to get a clear run.
“If he can get out well and camp on the leaders, he’s got a hope.”
Staines celebrates his 50th birthday later this year – but said he would be saving any prize money he wins for other treats.
“The grand kids have already staked their claim for a buggy if we win,” he said.
“They’ll be the first ones taken care of. My wife, daughter and son-in-law are a wonderful help – they do all the hard work. This is just as much about them.
“You always say, ‘I might be in the Golden Easter Egg next year’ – and now we are.”
Up Hill Jill (box two) is currently the $2.90 favourite with TAB to win the Golden Easter Egg after looking unbeatable in the heats and semi-finals of the three-week series.
Fellow Victorian greyhound Striker Light (box seven), winner of this year’s Group 1 National Futurity at Wentworth Park, is a $3.80 chance, while Mack Tux, trained by western Sydney’s Bruce King, has drawn box one and is a $4.80 chance with TAB.
Big Flood (box four, $6.50), Lucky Chap (box three, $5), Aqua Cheetah (box six, $12) and Lagoon Jazzy ($26) in box eight complete the field.
The Group 1 Golden Easter Egg is the highlight of a cracking card of racing on Easter Saturday at Wentworth Park, with the first race jumping at 7.28pm and the feature due to begin at 9.35pm.
For Wentworth Park Saturday fields, form and expert picks, click here.
