Midnight Starlet, who broke Brad Hill Billly's track record in winning last Friday's Dubbo regional final of the GRNSW + Ladbrokes Million Dollar Chase, is a dyed-in-the-wool home-grown product of Clergate breeder David Pringle's family of greyhounds.
Midnight Starlet, who was trained by Pringle for her win over Little Digger in 29.27sec at Dubbo, returned to her previous trainer, Victoria's Seona Thompson, on Monday.
Now a winner of seven of her 18 starts, Midnight Starlet is by Buck Fever, a crack sprinter who won six of 18 races for Pringle and was a son of Kiacatoo Pearl, another Pringle family greyhound who was successful in five from 16 races.
Kiacatoo Pearl was a grand-daughter of Ready To Rain, the great-great-great grandmother of Midnight Starlet on her dam Midnight News' side.
Pringle, 37, said: "I would have been around 10 years old when my family owned First Contract, the dam of Ready To Rain.
"She was the mother of Ready To Rise, the dam of Midnight Drama, who was the mother of Midnight Movie.
"Midnight News, Midnight Starlet's mother, was produced by Midnight Movie so this sire and dam line have been in the family for a long, long while.
"Midnight Starlet is typical of her sire Buck Fever's offspring in that she loves the rails and when she drew box one at Dubbo I knew she would be hard to beat.
"She will now return to Sydney for the semi-finals of the Million Dollar Chase at Wentworth Park on October 12.''
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ANOTHER trainer "keeping it in the family'' is Bob Merillo, who bred, owned and trained Bokarm Nala, Bokarm Nora and Bokarm Rosie, who gave him a winning treble at Grafton Monday.
Merillo reckons each of his winning trio is capable of improving, pointing out they had little work going into Monday's races.
"Because I went to Vietnam for a holiday my dogs did not have a trial for three weeks,'' Merillo said.
"Instead of trialling I reckoned they were fit enough to handle the 305m trip at Grafton and three of them won while my other starter, No Worries Cob, led before tiring to finish third.
"Bokarm Rosie is probably the quickest of my winners and she is a litter sister to Bokarm Dean, which I sold and who finished second in Monday's Grafton regional final of the Million Dollar Chase.
"Bokarm Nala and Bokarm Nora are from the same litter as Saint Gallon, who I sold to my cousin Robert Russo and who has won 13 races for Sydney trainer Charlie Gatt.''
Merillo, who has been training since 1975, said: "It's not the first time I have won a treble, as I have landed three winners several times at both Casino and Grafton.''
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Little Digger, who drew unsuitably in box eight but managed to Chase Midnight Starlet home in second spot at Dubbo, was responsible for an amazing performance.
Considering the winner broke a long-standing course record, Little Digger's effort to be runner-up and qualify for the Wentworth Park semi-finals was remarkable as he was flattened at the first turn and came from a long way back to be beaten four lengths.
Trainer Ray Smith regards Little Digger's performance as possibly the finest of his career, even though the greyhound had previously won 20 races and is a prolific top grader at Wentworth Park.
Incidentally Smith also trained the former Dubbo record holder Brad Hill Billy, who set the previous 516m time standard of 29.30 in April, 2016.
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FEW stayers have made such an impressive Wentworth Park long-distance debut as Taken King did in posting a blistering 41.86 last Saturday night.
But trainer Jodie Lord will not be rushing Taken King into competing against the most mature top class stayers, instead planning to take her dog through the grades.
"I will probably head for the provincials with him now, with Bulli a likely venue, and won't be throwing Taken King to the wolves,'' Lord said.
"Taken King should become a first rate stayer but he will go through his grades until the bigger long-distance races come around.''
Lord also won Sunday's Temora regional final of the Million Dollar Chase with Champion Model, who ran down Bogan Way to notch her 21st win in 46 starts.
Champion Model, already the winner of the Goulburn and Canberra Cup finals, has now earned $81,670 for owner-breeder Clay Mullens.
"She is a very under-rated bitch,'' Lord said of Champion Model.
"I am also training five young Brett Lee greyhounds for Clay Mullens and I'll be surprised if there are not a couple of top liners among them.''
