Fiery Crash has hopefully put frustrating interruptions to her career behind her with an ultra-impressive win at Dapto on Thursday night.
Trained by Garry Edwards, Fiery Crash, a daughter of Fernando Bale and Edwards' former champion sprinter and Dapto record holder Double Twist (pictured), won by nearly nine lengths.
Fiery Crash covered the 520m in a handy 30.15sec, a top effort considering she dwelt at the start and was turned sideways after colliding approaching the first turn.
Fiery Crash began racing last August but Thursday's race was only her seventh, with her record now standing at four wins and three placings.
"Around this time last year I set Fiery Crash for the Dapto Maiden Classic in August and after finishing third in her heat she won her semi-final in 30.13sec before drawing ideally in box eight in the final,'' Edwards recalled.
"But she came in season and had to be scratched from the rich race.
"After Fiery Crash completed her seasonal spell I brought her back in February but after she won two in a row over 365m at Nowra she came in season again.
"She has been trialling the place down this time in and while I was a little disappointed with her time on Thursday she was having her first 520m race this preparation and only the third of her entire career.''
Edwards landed a double at Dapto, also scoring with Twisted Love, a litter sister to Fiery Crash, who won the top grade 520m race in 29.98sec, taking her record to 13 wins and eight placings from 29 appearances.
Edwards, recently back training after a heart scare, believes his run of success with the Double Twist line will continue.
"I have recently had a litter by Where's Pedro from Twist Me Over educated and the reports from the breakers are most encouraging,'' Edwards said.
"Twist Me Over is by Collision from CHRIS O'Brien's wonderful bitch Tifi, while Double Twist is by Where's Pedro from Tifi, so they can hardly be more closely related than that,'' Edwards said.
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GRAHAM "Polly'' Thurkettle trained a winning treble at Goulburn on Thursday, his first in more than two decades in the sport.
The Harden-based 74-year-old, a former shearer and fencing contractor, is among greyhound racing's most popular figures, especially on the country circuit.
Thurkettle's big day out at Goulburn began with Mallee CHRIS, who scored his ninth win when he took out the opening 350m event in 20.13sec.
Thurkettle then won a maiden 440m race with Smackdown Sally in 20.64 before that greyhound's kennelmate and litter sister Unrushed landed her third win in five starts in another 440m event, clocking 20.19sec.
"I had a wonderful time because I also own and bred Dare Me, who won a maiden event on the same programme but who is trained by my mate Neil Staines, another ex-shearer,'' Thurkettle said.
"Unrushed is the best of the three winners I trained as she is improving all the time.
"Unrushed, Dare Me and Smackdown Sally are by Magic Sprite from my former good stayer Irish Marina, who won 15 races and was a winner over 720m at Wentworth Park.
"Irish Marina's last litter, by Barcia Bale, are 10 months old and while the Magic Sprite offspring currently racing are real goers, they are on the small side, while the younger litter are beautiful big pups.''
Irish Marina has finished breeding and is now a family pet at the Thurkettle household but her progeny include Fire And Smoke, whose 10 wins have included success at WP, The Meadows and Sandown, Sugar Man (winner of 25 races), Milky Jones (16 wins include a top grade over 520m at WP), Ragnarok (eight wins) and Drum Fire (six wins).
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ANOTHER former smart racer enjoying success in the breeding barn is Are Jai Que, who won a remarkable 19 of 32 starts for Southern Highlands trainer Michael Clayton.
At Dapto on Thursday Clayton unveiled Secret Talks, a son of Are Jai Que, who made his debut with a tearaway nine lengths' win over 520m in 30.02sec, outstanding figures for a rookie maiden.
