The all-the-way win of Buck's Future in last Saturday night's Group 1 Ladbrokes Paws Of Thunder emphasises the impact, the untimely death of his sire Buck Fever, was to the breeding industry.
Buck Fever succumbed to bone cancer after a brief period at stud and Buck's Future has become the dog's fourth individual group one winner.
"We lost him about 18 months ago and I only have a dozen straws of his still available,'' owner-breeder David Pringle said.
"Buck Fever is a very under-rated sire and prior to Buck's Future he had produced group one winners Bourbski Fever, Buck Forty and Burn One Down.
"Personally I have bred and raced four litters sired by Buck Fever and there was a group race winner in each litter.
"While Buck's Future is setting the world alight at present, Buck Fever's best offspring could still be on the horizon.
"I am training a bitch called Midnight Dare who won each of her only two starts over 530m the Coonamble spring carnival last year.
"She is back in work now and is an absolute rocket, if she doesn't go on to group race glory I'll be very surprised.''
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The annual awards night for the NSW Greyhound Breeders, Owners & Trainers Association was held in conjunction with the Ladbrokes Paws Of Thunder at Wentworth Park last week.
Trainer of 2018 was Michael Eberand, who prepares the great stayer Ebby Ripper, while the GBOTA greyhound of last year was Sunburnt Highway, trained at Kanahooka, near Dapto, by Judith Richardson.
Sunburnt Highway, who had scored five wins and 10 placings at Wentworth Park by the end of 2018, was one of the sport's most consistent performers while Ebby Ripper, currently on the sidelines, has rarely failed to qualify for a group staying event.
After Double Gee took out Saturday's Summer Distance Plate, Michael Eberand said: "It didn't seem like a group final with no Ebby Ripper in the field.''
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HOW good is Rockin' Georgia? That's what racegoers were pondering after this sensational 18 month old youngster's record breaking debut at Gosford on Tuesday night.
The Brad Canty-owned, Darryl Thomas-trained Rockin' Georgia exploded from box four to lead throughout in a 388m maiden, scoring by nearly a dozen lengths and stopping the clock 21.85sec.
That time shattered the previous record held by On The Avenue, at 22.03, with Rockin' Georgia posting an almost unbelievable first section of 9.89sec.
"They just don't run a split like that,'' exclaimed an astonished race caller John McDermott after Rockin' Georgia's figures were semaphored.
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JIMMY Coyle, who has recently returned to the training ranks after taking a break from the sport, took out the opening race at Wentworth Park last Saturday with Punk Band, a son of his former smart sprinter Funky Punk.
"Punk Band was well drawn out wide in box six on Saturday because he tends to want to run wide,'' Coyle said.
"He was a railer when he first started out but nowadays likes to get off the track.
"He is a member of the first litter I have bred from Funky Punk, who won four races at Wentworth Park.
"She has had a second litter, by Collision, who should be racing in late 2019.''
