Sawyers Gully trainer DENIS Berwick has celebrated his 50th year as a greyhound trainer by producing the under-rated Vista King for a remarkable track record equalling performance at LADBROKES GARDENS.
Last Tuesday Vista King staged an astonishing last-to-first performance to win over 515m, with his time, 29.19, matching the previous fastest figures posted by the Jason Mackay-trained Smart Missile in August, 2015.
While well aware of Vista King's talent, Berwick concedes he was "surprised'' at how quickly his greyhound had gone in his 18th win.
"He has had a few goes at Wentworth Park and been disappointing but following his record run at The Gardens I will give him one last try at Wenty this Wednesday,'' Berwick said.
Berwick trains Vista King for the dog's breeder Gary Aquilina and his father-in-law Trevor Dixon, who won races with the greyhound's dam Go Ginger Go at The Meadows and Wentworth Park.
Aquilina, a cabinet maker and kitchen renovator, secured Go Ginger Go because of her impeccable bloodlines.
"Her grand-dam Leprechaun Pace is the mother of Oaks Road, the 2012 NSW Greyhond of the Year, and she was a litter sister to Betty's Angel, the 2006 Melbourne Cup winner,'' Aquilina said.
"Michael Clayton trained Go Ginger Go for her success at Wentworth Park and then looked after her so well and reared her offspring for us on his property at Sutton Forest.
"Vista King is no fluke result either as his litter brother Spring Sam has won 18 races and earned $45,000 in stakes in NEW ZEALAND.
"But full credit to DENIS Berwick, because when we got Vista King back from a campaign in Victoria his form was pretty ordinary but DENIS turned the dog's fortunes around completely.
"Go Ginger Go's next litter, sired by Barcia Bale, will be six months of age on May 20 so we are anticipating a lot of fun in the coming years.''
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Famous NEW ZEALAND trainer Dave Fahey was an interested onlooker at Wentworth Park last Wednesday night.
Fahey was a guest of south coast trainers Robyn and Glen Goodwin, who won a fifth grade event with Velocity Liberty.
Fahey, who has 35 greyhounds in work in his Christchurch kennels, landed his 100th group race when Shantui won recently.
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Trainer Simon Rhodes continued his run of success with former Victorian greyhounds owned by his old soccer pal Brendan Wheeler at Wentworth Park on Wednesday night.
Rhodes won with Sammy Allen, whose record in six starts for the Bargo trainer now stands at two wins and three seconds from six starts, and with Dyna Orenthal, who snatched a last stride
victory in the main event on the card.
Dyna Orenthal has now had 18 starts at Wentworth Park for Rhodes for five wins and four placings.
Soon after Dyna Orenthal arrived at Rhodes' kennels, Wheeler received a good offer to sell the dog.
"Brendan left it up to me but I asked him not to sell Dyna Orenthal because I felt the dog had several Wenty wins in him,'' Rhodes said.
The dog has now earned over $35,000 in stakes and does not turn three until August.
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Road Angel, one of the sport's most durable sprinters, scored her 24th win at start number 131 at Dapto on Thursday night.
The Mick Player-trained short course star, who turned four in February, led throughout to take out a 297m flutter by more than two lengths in a tidy 17.17.
Although Road Angel won her maiden race over 520m at Dapto, she has since specialised in sprints, with all but three of her wins being in races up to 400m.
