Sydney trainer Mark Bell clocked up thousands of kilometres to ensure his stayers Miss Wing Wong and Goldstein qualified for next month's Ladbrokes Back Yourself Challenge and has been rewarded with his greyhounds topping their Pointscore.
With three heats remaining, at Bathurst tomorrow, Dubbo on Friday and at Wentworth Park, Miss Wing Wong has accrued 90 Points with Goldstein's tally of 76 putting him in clear second position.
Bell's pair look set to lift their tally with Goldstein in box two and Miss Wing Wong in seven in tomorrow's 700m Bathurst heat of the Challenge.
A dozen statewide heats, for sprinters and stayers, which commenced on March 31, will culminate with the last round at Wentworth Park on June 6 before the finals, worth $20,000 to each winner, at that course 10 days later.
Bell, whose kennels are at Austral, near Liverpool, said: "I really embraced the concept of this series taking my dogs to Bulli, Grafton, Temora, Nowra, Richmond, Newcastle's LADBROKES GARDENS and now Bathurst.
"Goldstein scored his first 720m win at Wentworth Park on Wednesday night in 42.99 but Miss Wing Wong, who has won in 42.74 there, is probably my better chance in the final at Wenty.
"My only concern with Miss Wing Wong is that Chase The Cash, who looks like making the final, is likely to outpace her in the early stages.
"While I believe Miss Wing Wong is stronger at the end of 720m than Chase The Cash, my greyhound is pretty dumb when she is not the pacemaker and can make a mess of getting around the leader.''
Infrared Ethics, who is leading the sprinters' Pointscore with a tally of 72 and has box one in a heat at Bathurst tomorrow, is a descendant of his owner-trainer David Smith's first greyhound.
"That was Good Ethics, who I bought 20 years ago for $1800 and who won four races before producing Dreamin' Ethics, a winner of eight races,'' Smith said.
"Dreamin' Ethics is the mother of Slasher's Ethics, who is the dam of Infrared Ethics, so it is very satisfying to be in a race like this with a fourth generation greyhound I have raced.
"Infrared Ethics' mother Slasher's Ethics won seven races and while circumstances prevented her winning at Wentworth Park, she once clocked a flying 30.45 in a Richmond 535m win and remains the fastest greyhound I have raced.''
Making a late bid for the Sprint Challenge is the Darren Sultana-trained Black Forge, a proven Wentworth Park star whose sizzling 24.87 heat win at Maitland on Thursday took his tally to 54 Points.
Infrared Ethics' trainer David Smith will also be represented in the stayers' final by Infrared Ethics' litter brother Yankee's Ethics, who had registered 58 Points before a minor toe injury interrupted his career.
While David Smith is a businessman for whom greyhounds are a hobby, Mark Bell is a professional in the sport and has been a trainer for nearly four decades.
"My grandparents Cath and Bill Bell were next door neighbours at Kingsford of legendary trainer Les Harper and got their first greyhound from him nearly 80 years ago,'' Bell said.
"At 18 I bought my first dog, Mugsy, a moderate who won six bush races, but when I later paid $2000 for a six weeks old puppy called Web Of Silence, my fortunes really changed.
"Web Of Silence was a phenomenal producer and from her I got three outstanding sprinters, Go Wild Teddy, Mean Bean and Woy Woy Boy.
"Go Wild Teddy won three Group 1s, the 2000 Melbourne Cup, Sandown Shootout and Vic Peters Classic at Wentworth Park, as well as the Group 2 Bob Payne final, while Mean Bean took out the 2001 Group 1 National Derby.
"Woy Woy Boy was runner-up in the 1999 National Sprint Championship and was a finalist in the 2000 Golden Easter Egg.
"Unfortunately he was a very timid dog and on Easter Egg night there were bands playing and with a huge crowd making a lot of noise Woy Woy Boy went to pieces.
"Stately Bird won the final while a below par Woy Woy Boy was unplaced, but he defeated the Easter Egg winner soon after in the PENRITH Cup.''
Points for the Ladbrokes Challenge are allocated with 18 for each heat winner, 16 for second and decreasing by two Points down to four for eighth and two for reserve entries.
The June 16 finals at Wentworth Park will be over 520m and 720m, with the June 6 heats at Wentworth Park replacing the June 5 qualifying races originally scheduled for the Gosford track, which is undergoing renovation.
