Zipping Bronco gave bowling club chief executive Shaun Parnis his first city winner when he scored at Wentworth Park on July 8 and proved that success no fluke with a powerhouse performance to score at the same track last Wednesday.
Bought from leading breeder-owner Marty Hallinan for $10,000 earlier this year, Zipping Bronco overcame a slow start to win a race last week.
After being last away, the greyhound swept around his rivals to be third on the back straight and pounced on the lead at the top of the straight. Zipping Bronco then careered away to win by five lengths in 30.48.
Parnis has only two race greyhound in work, the other being Muddy Miss, who has scored 12 wins and 22 placings from 53 starts.
“Muddy Miss has been a lot of fun but she is a short course greyhound who can't run 520 metres,” Parnis.
“Unfortunately she dislocated a toe in her most recent race and I'm not sure if she will come back to racing.
“If not she will be my first venture into breeding. I became interested in greyhounds through my late uncle Frank Magro, and my family lived next door to him at one stage.
“There's no doubt I got the greyhound 'bug' from uncle Frank.”
Frank Magro, who died in January last year, aged 72, was best known as the trainer of classy stayer Fi's Comet, who won 17 races in 1996 and 1997.
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Troy Vella got a special thrill out of his greyhound Sassy Swiper's all-the-way win in a modest 400m race at Richmond on Wednesday.
The reason is Sassy Swiper is a daughter of Vella's former outstanding sprinter Belfast Johnny, which he trained to win the 2013 Group 1 Vic Peters Classic at Wentworth Park.
“Sassy Swiper, who has now won three from seven starts, is out of my female greyhound Tasha's Girl and is a member of the first litter sired by Belfast Johnny,” Vella said.
“He served only three in Australia before his owner, who lives in NEW ZEALAND, took him over there where he figured the dog may have more opportunities at stud.
“I think Sassy Swiper will get 520 metres because while she has been only a short courser so far she is a good chaser with great early pace.
“I have been having a bit of trouble keeping her weight constant and I believe she is still a kilogram above her best racing trim.”
Vella hit the ground running in greyhound racing when, as a 15-year-old, he had an interest in Ultra Sense, winner of the inaugural Golden Easter Egg run at Wentworth Park in 2000.
Vella's parents, Linda and Joe, owned a 10 per cent share in the Jimmy Coleman-trained Ultra Sense and the teenager was immediately “hooked” on the sport.
After Ultra Sense, Vella owned Nitro Bird, who won the Dubbo and Cowra Cups for Falcon's Fury's trainer Paul Braddon.
Nitro Bird later made the final of the Group 1 Adelaide Cup when trained by Matt Soames.
“I am still doing a bit of plastering work to pay the bills but have four greyhounds in work and hope to expand my involvement in the training side of the sport,” Vella said.
