Ritza Lenny, one of the most prolific and consistent greyhounds in recent years, has almost certainly run his last race.
Ritza Lenny has broken down and trainer Mark Gatt said: "He will be out of action for quite a while and although it is possible I could get him back to the track eventually he is already four years old.
"That being the case he is likely to be used for stud purposes in the future.
"I have an impressive young litter from my multi group race winner Ritza Hattie which were sired by Ritza Lenny during a break in his racing career.
"And Mick Player has declared he wants to mate his top short course bitch Road Angel with Lenny when she comes in season and is retired.''
Ritza Lenny boasts close to a 50 per cent winning strike rate, having won 30 of his 67 races and filling placings on another 20 occasions.
He was equally reliable at Wentworth Park where he contested 34 races for 15 wins and 11 placings, with a personal best 520m time of 29.59sec.
The son of Barcia Bale and Lagoon Lowanna, who was bred by Ray and Sharron Webster and is owned by his trainer's father Frank Gatt, earned $232,000 in prizemoney.
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KNOCKOUT Hero, who took out last Thursday's Ladbrokes Pathway Series final for central coast trainer Warren Harper, is named after his South Australian owner Barry Stewart's champion amateur boxing grandson Jayden Kerr.
Kerr, 15, won last year's National Golden Gloves tournament in Queensland and took out the was named national champion in the 40-42kg bracket after winning the Australian title in his weight division in Perth.
His grandfather Stewart, an insurance broker, has a lengthy history in the sport and met Warren Harper when he and his late father Cyril Stewart brought crack SA stayer Tilka Lass to Sydney for the final of the National Distance Championship in 1994.
"Dad was a rare greyhound trainer in that he didn't drive so I was his chauffeur,'' Stewart quipped.
"When we brought Tilka Lass to Sydney we stayed at Warren Harper's home and we have been friends ever since.
"Tilka Lass led everywhere bar the post in the 720m National Distance Championship at Wentworth Park but was run down by Miss Cruise.
"The first greyhound I bought was Special Draw, who won the SA Derby at Angle Park in 1972, but these days I have three greyhounds with Warren Harper and his wife Jill.
"I was lucky enough to buy Knockout Hero and his siblings Willoughby and Another Grey from their breeder Julie Fletcher when the NSW greyhound ban was being mooted.
"Jill Harper is Julie Fletcher's sister-in-law and because of the proposed ban she had buyers cancelling orders to buy pups from her top brood bitch Little Grey.
"Julie only wanted to keep one pup, Finale, who won first-up at Wentworth Park in 30.10 on June 6.
"So she had three available and I bought them, with Knockout Hero now having won three from 10 starts, Willoughby winning first-up at Maitland in March, and Another Grey so far unraced.
"Although Knockout Hero is the best performed, Warren Harper reckons Willoughby, who has been sidelined with wrist problems, is quicker.
"But the Harpers tell me Another Grey also has plenty of talent.''
Warren Harper describes Knockout Hero as "a maniac.''
Said Harper: "He is totally over-the-top, he usually rips the water bottle from his kennel on race night and is almost impossible to hang on when you take him onto the track.
"After a couple more provincial starts Jill and I intend bringing Knockout Hero to Wentworth Park.''
