Dr George Clegg ended a 43 years' Wentworth Park drought when Big Bad Bob staged an outstanding last-to-first performance to win at his Sydney debut last Saturday night.
Dr Clegg, now a GP at Mudgeeraba on the Gold Coast, was formerly at Coogee, in Sydney's eastern suburbs, and while there he raced the smart sprinter Kilbride.
"Kilbride won at Wentworth Park for me in 1975 and although I have had few runners there since, she was my previous Sydney winner until Big Bad Bob got home on Saturday,'' Dr Clegg said.
"Until Saturday my most recent starter at Wenty was Big Bad Bob's mother Bralyn Casey, who won a dozen races but who was unplaced in a couple of 720m races for me there in 2014.''
Dr Clegg has an ambitious campaign in mind for Big Bad Bob, who has now recorded 19 wins and 23 placings from 54 starts.
"The dog's immediate mission is the 510m Rockhampton Cup on April 25 and May 2,'' Dr Clegg said.
The genial doc, who must surely be Australia's only greyhound training GP, then plans to aim Big Bad Bob towards the Townsville Cup over 498m before heading to the Northern Territory for the Darwin Cup (537m) later this year.
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Kemps Creek trainer Jason Magri achieved a remarkable feat at Bulli last Saturday night when he won each of three heats of the much sought after Graham Gibbons Memorial Maiden with previously unraced juveniles.
And Magri's winners, Zipping Falcon, Zipping Mitzy and Zipping Manuela, are siblings, members of a litter whelped in May, 2016, by Barcia Bale from Crafty Lady.
Zipping Falcon started the ball rolling, coming from second early to lead at the first turn before scoring in a fast 26.21 for the 472m.
Zipping Mitzy, rated the star of the youngsters, came from a similar position early to win in a sensational 26.03 while her sister Zipping Manuela was badly hampered early soon after the start before powering home to win in 26.65.
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Last year's Group 1 Melbourne Maturity winner Mepunga Blazer is on the comeback trail.
Mepunga Blazer won 11 of 22 races and earned nearly $157,000 in stakes before retiring after being injury in February.
But Jeff Britton, who trained the greyhound for each of his wins, including a sizzling 29.27 performance at Sandown, believes Mepunga Blazer is ready to make a successful racetrack return.
Britton, whose dog Alpha Georgiou won a heat of the Perth Cup last Saturday night, is a huge fan of the "finish on arm'' which has replaced the catching pen at Victoria's Geelong track.
"The finish on has transformed the careers of dozens of suspect chasers in NEW ZEALAND and it is doing the same now at Geelong,'' Britton said.
"Alpha Georgiou had received a 'ticket' for marring in Queensland before I got him but after winning a race behind the finish-on lure at Geelong he has won a heat of the Golden Easter Egg at Wentworth Park and now has won a Group 1 Perth Cup heat.''
Fire And Smoke, who was a talented but enigmatic stayer at Wentworth Park for owner Graham Thurkettle, starred at Geelong on April 6.
Having his first start for Britton, Fire And Smoke, who often tailed out a long last in 720m races at Wentworth Park, led throughout to win over 460m in 25.54, fastest time of the night!
"That was thanks to the finish-on lure,'' Britton insisted.
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Alotta Talk, who has won three from seven starts including slick wins over 515m at Sandown and 460m at Geelong, is to join the Sydney kennels of trainer Dean Swain.
Alotta Talk, a litter brother to the sensational staying prospect Tornado Tears, began his career in NSW, winning a 515m maiden race at Gosford in a fast 29.90.
