When Big Butters broke the mighty Ebby Ripper's 715m record at LADBROKES GARDENS last week trainer Andrew Crouch described the win as the highlight of his career in greyhounds.
"My son Adam and I have only been training just under four years but to break a track record held by a bitch of the calibre of Ebby Ripper is the pinnacle of our times in the sport,'' Crouch said.
"Ebby Ripper's record stood at 41.70 and Big Butters led all the way in 41.54.
"My son Adam decides where we nominate our greyhounds and he is now tossing up whether to take Big Butters to Melbourne or to look for long-distance events in Sydney.
"Big Butters fared well when she was placed twice from two starts in top company over 600m at The Meadows late last year and is far better off in longer races, over 725m there or 715m at Sandown.
"She is a dream stayer because she just gets out and goes, usually making the early pace but getting to the line strongly at the finish.''
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Queensland owner-breeder Steve Williams, who won Saturday night's Group 1 Ladbrokes Peter Mosman Classic at Wentworth Park with the Robyn Goodwin-trained Velocity Liberty, has an intense dislike for greyhounds as a teenager.
Williams, now 65, recalled: "I was forced into the sport when my late father George, who was a hobby trainer, suffered a heart attack.
"I had no choice but to exercise his greyhounds for him but it wasn't long before I was hooked.
"Now I have 40 greyhounds with trainers all over Australia as well a dozen about to begin their career and around 60 puppies being reared on my farm at Stanthorpe in south-east Queensland.''
Triple Group 1 winner Glen Gallon is the best greyhound Williams has owned while he also raced Velocity Regina, who won 24 of 51 races including track record breaking performances in the 2011 Townsville and DARWIN Cups.
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Bringelly trainer and breeder Mark Wilcox holds a strong hand in Thursday's Maitland Winter Cup heats courtesy of his phenomenal brood bitch Winning Shiraz.
Burning Fuel, a daughter of Winning Shiraz's March, 2016 litter sired by Cosmic Rumble, has box six in heat one while her litter brother and kennelmate Scientific Man has box seven in heat two.
Wilcox thought so highly of Burning Fuel that he set her for the recent Group 1 Ladbrokes Peter Mosman Classic at Wentworth Park and while she failed to make the final, she should relish the massive drop in class at Maitland.
Burning Fuel goes into her 450m heat boasting a record of six wins and a second from nine starts, including two victories from three appearances at Maitland.
When she won over the Winter Cup course on March 17 she clocked near record figures of 24.95.
Scientific Man is a more recent addition to the racetrack but has had three wins and two seconds from five starts, including a near record 22.21 success over 400m at Bulli on June 9.
Winning Shiraz, the dam of Wilcox's Winter Cup hopes, has been a four-legged gold mine for her owner, producing three outstanding greyhounds from a 2011 litter she whelped to Knocka Norris.
They comprised Knocka's Return, who won 41 of 104 races, Natural Player, successful in 34 out of 59 starts, and Highly Respected, who was first home in 27 from 62 appearances all for Wilcox.
