Buck's Future gave his new owner Robert Jones 24 hours to remember with a 10 lengths' win in a heat of the Ladbrokes Maiden Series at Wentworth Park during the week and should continue the good work in Wednesday night's $5000 to the winner final.
Weona Nicconi and Constant Flight, thoroughbreds owned by Jones and trained by David Van Dyke on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, each won at their local track last Wednesday, just hours before Buck's Future gave his owner an unusual treble by trouncing his rivals at Wenty.
Buck's Future is easily fastest qualifier for Wednesday night's Wentworth Park final as he clocked 30.36 in his heat winning romp while Bogan Villa took 30.85 to win the other heat.
That makes Buck's Future the equivalent of nearly eight lengths quicker than his nearest rival in the final.
"I have had some smart racehorses, including Group 3 winner Deep Image and Kingston Town Classic winner Prince Cheri, but I'm having so much fun with the greyhounds,'' Jones said.
"David Van Dyke is currently training 10 thoroughbreds for me and for syndicates I am with, but Buck's Future, trained by DEAN Swain, is only my second greyhound.
"A mate who drinks at my local pub in Riverstone got me watching the dogs on TV there and when I indicated I might buy a greyhound he recommended DEAN Swain.
"Last year DEAN bought Watch The Wasp for me, and he has won nine races, including six at Wentworth Park, so I went back to the same breeder, David Pringle, to buy Buck's Future.''
DEAN Swain's wife Danielle handled Buck's Future in his runaway win last Wednesday, with her husband having been hospitalised for a brief time.
"I'll be surprised if Buck's Future does not improve in the Ladbrokes final because when he won his heat he was having his first test over 520m since we bought him in March,'' Danielle said.
"Winning at his first start for Robert and us was a terrific thrill as Buck's Future had not raced for two months.
"When the dog first came to our place he took a while to settle in, he was inclined to jump around and knocked himself around a little.
"DEAN does not train his dogs like David Pringle, who had Buck's Future for his only race when he finished third in a heat of the Group 3 Magic Maiden, so the dog took time to get
accustomed to the different techniques.''
Alan Proctor, whose wife Christine trains Num Chuck Chicki, runner-up to Buck's Future last Wednesday, believes their greyhound will get better.
"Christine had to performance trial Num Chuck Chicki over 450m at Maitland six days before the Wenty heats which was not an ideal lead-up to last Wednesday's race,'' Proctor said.
"Num Chuck Chicki has ability and only improve.''
Num Chuck Chicki is raced by Michelle and Michael Jones, who rear and breed greyhounds at Nabiac, near Taree.
Christine Proctor trains their smart sprinter Mister Fernando, a dual Wentworth Park winner, while the Jones family owned champion sprinter My Bro Fabio, who won 26 of 52 races and
nearly $480,000 in stakes.
Bogan Villa, who won the other Ladbrokes Maiden Series heat, is trained at Yass by Neil Staines for Graham Dixon, a concreter from Parkes.
"Bogan Villa had three trials at Wenty before the heats, with her best effort being a 24.45 post-to-post hand-slip along with a 30.60 hit-out from the 520m boxes,'' Staines said.
Bogan Villa was chased home by Winsome Bossman, owned in Victoria by Adrian Martino but trained in Sydney by the dog's breeder, John Finn.
"Winsome Bossman is very slow early but is still learning which is why he kept climbing all over the back of Bogan Villa as he attempted to get around him in his heat,'' Finn said.
Unluckiest runner from the two heats was Zipping Memphis, who finished third, beaten five lengths, by Bogan Villa.
Zipping Memphis is a litter sister and kennelmate to sensational youngster, the unbeaten Zipping Mitzy, and is no slouch herself.
"Zipping Memphis trialled a nippy 30.10 at Wentworth Park before the Ladbrokes heats and had absolutely no luck from box six last Wednesday,'' trainer Jason Magri said.
"She is in the final with a real chance, especially if she can draw near the rails.''
