Woodlands Drive, whose second Wentworth Park win last Wednesday night put him into this Wednesday's Ladbrokes Money Wire Series final, is the third generation greyhound raced by retired coal miner Paul Burley.
Woodlands Drive, whose recent campaign was interrupted by the need to have a troublesome corn removed from a foot, overcame a slow start to lead going through the catching pen.
He careered away to win by four lengths in 30.25, taking his record to nine wins and 12 placings from 35 starts.
East Gresford trainer Charmaine Field prepares Woodlands Drive for Burley and two friends who form the Lotsa Pennys Syndicate.
"I bred Woodlands Drive from my bitch Deakin Street, who was a daughter of a top liner I raced, Penny Cool,'' Burley said.
"Penny Cool was by Big Daddy Cool from Penny Dancer, who was trained by Sid Swain and who won 22 races, including finals of the Richmond Cannonball in 2004 and 2005.
"Penny Cool was also outstanding and won six of her first seven starts before reaching the final of the 2008 Group 2 Black Top at The Gardens, where she finished fourth to Lochinvar Prada.
"Unfortunately she broke a leg when she fell at Gosford in November, 2008, and she whelped only one litter.
"I still have her at home and she is my now 14 year old pet.
"While Penny Cool came in season just once, her line is living on through her daughter Deakin Street.
"Another of her offspring, Red Four, who is from the same litter as Woodlands Drive, has won four races at Wentworth Park for Charmaine Field.
"I spent 40 years under ground in the mines but was retrenched in 2014 and greyhounds are a wonderful diversion.
"My earliest memories go back to the late 1960s when I headed to Singleton track to watch the mighty Zoom Top in action.''
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Sydney engineer Darren Leeson, whose spark plug testing kit invention has just been adopted by major companies, won a race at Wentworth Park last Wednesday with a greyhound who must surely be the tiniest in training.
Leeson owns Pennybacker, a 21.9kg midget who led throughout to win the Gosford To Wenty Final by 11 lengths for trainer John Callaughan.
Leeson deserved to collect a city win as he paid a hefty $15,000 for Pennybacker's dam Kalden Aurora in a quest to breed some future top notchers.
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Pedro Cerrano moved closer to joining the $100,000 club by scoring his 26th win at Dapto on Thursday night.
The top grade Wentworth Park 520m speedster contested a 297m Masters event and, sent out as a $1.30 favourite, won in 17.18 at start number 111.
The John Little trained dog, who turns five in August, has now racked up 26 wins, 25 seconds and 18 thirds and has earned nearly $95,000.
Little's greyhounds are renowned for their durability and he also trains Pedro Cerrano's younger half-brother Black Hole Sun, a finalist in last Saturday night's Ladbrokes Bulli Gold Cup.
When Black Hole Sun contested the Cup he was having his 64th start after scoring 18 wins and 27 placings in previous races.
Pedro Cerrano and Black Hole Sun are sons of Little's former smart sprinting bitch Chasing Diana.
