Eye Rock gave 83-year-old Newcastle trainer Warren Slade his first Wentworth Park winner in almost eight years when he toppled a strong fifth grade lineup last Wednesday night.
Slade, whose previous city winner was Chill Away, in August, 2011, has only Eye Rock and Bumpo in his kennels.
"Eye Rock would be a world beater if he could come out of a box but he never jumps smartly,'' Slade said.
"He finished second, without the benefit of a run on the track, at Wenty on December 22 but I was not confident he would win on Wednesday because he had box three against a good field.
"But after his customary slow getawat he got a nice run along the rails at the first turn and when he was second on the back straight I knew he would go close to winning because he is very strong.
"Eye Rock has been marvellously consistent and has not been out of the placings in his past 14 starts.
"His kennelmate, Bumpo, has won seven races at the provincials and been placed 18 times.
"He is having a break at present because he ran a shocker at his most recent start at LADBROKES GARDENS and was off colour after the race.
"I think he might have eaten something in the yard at home that didn't agree with him but he should come back okay.''
Slade's best greyhound was group race long distance star Gallant Seagull, while that dog's litter brother Poppy Jack was no slouch either, winning 19 races in the late 1990s.
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EXTREME Chance, who won 48 and was placed 60 times from 134 starts, has been retired.
"She has come in season and been mated with Barcia Bale,'' Jack Roy, whose wife Lorraine trained Extreme Chance for her owner-breeder Michael Hugo, said.
"Extreme Chance turned five this month and while she has been racing as well as ever, when she came in season it was good to an opportunity to miss getting quality pups from her.
"Michael intends selling some of her offspring because Extreme Chance's sister Rare Chance, who won 20 races, has just produced 10 puppies to My Bro Fabio.
"Rare Chance was actually a fraction quicker than Extreme Chance but was not as successful on the track because she was a very wide runner who badly needed outside draws.
"Michael is selling some of Rare Chance's puppies too because he can't afford to feed them all!''
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FORMER Queenslander Rio Brave, now with top Victorian trainer David Geall, ran a slashing trial for the up-coming group 1 Ladbrokes National Derby with a scintillating 29.61sec performance over 520m at Wentworth Park on Saturday night.
Trialling solo before race one, Rio Brave, a luckless finalist in the recent group 1 Silver Chief Classic at The Meadows, actually posted the second quickest 520m figures on Saturday night.
Only the mighty Poke The Bear (pictured), who won his heat of the Ladbrokes Paws Of Thunder in 29.55, went faster.
After the trial Rio Brave's trainer David Geall said: "He has a big motor and I wasn't surprised that in a solo hit-out he went 29.61.
"Rio Brave's problem is that he is a hit or miss beginner who needs an inside draw so I want to see him in one, two or three in the Derby heats on January 25.''
