He could have been named after any of them: Stanley Kubrick, Stanley Tucci, Stan Laurel, Stan Lee, Stan Wawrinka, even the old Illawarra Steelers’ mascot, Stanley The Steel Avenger. But no, it’s none of those.
Stanley is Blabba Mouth. Cheryl Murray’s five-year-old greyhound who on Wednesday night will contest the heats of the Masters Meteor - an event for older greyhounds - at Wentworth Park.
“Yes that’s his kennel name … Stanley,” Cheryl explained. “Where did we get the name? Well … we bought a new wheelbarrow and it was just sitting there in the yard while we were thinking of a name for this young pup. It had the name Stanley on it, so we thought that was a good name so we went with that.
“Thankfully he goes a bit faster than a wheelbarrow.”
Stanley, or Blabba Mouth, will line up in heat three of the four qualifiers for the $100,000 final which will be run on TAB Million Dollar Chase Grand Final night, October 18. He’s been there before too, finishing third in the inaugural Masters Meteor last year behind Cosmic Bonus.
“It was a great night last year, once the thunderstorm had passed through,” Cheryl recalled. “He hates storms but he settled down after it passed through.
“It was a very special night. He went to go outside the winner and I think he got bogged down a bit and lost a bit of ground, but coming around the home turn I thought geez what’s going to happen here. But the other dog was just too good on the night.”
Aged five years and four months, Blabba Mouth is the oldest of the 29 runners contesting the series. But age has had no impact on his form. In masters events he has raced 31 times and recorded 13 wins, 10 seconds, four thirds, and been unplaced just four times.
“He’s just amazing. It seems like the older he gets the better he’s become. Once he got to about four-years-old, he’s just worked it out and he’s doing everything right.
“He just loves racing, and he loves to be at Wenty, he really enjoys his days out. He’s pretty special this dog. We have had him since he was a baby, and he will spend all his days with us, when he finishes racing.”
Blabba Mouth has drawn perhaps the toughest of the four heats, and meets the in-form Zipping Potter, Feral Franky’s kennelmate Little Digger, 2018 Golden Easter Egg finalist Dual Keroma, and last year’s Masters Meteor runner-up Springcreek Bill.
“It’s a tough heat but he’s freshened up for it, and he is going Well,” Cheryl said. “It would be nice to get into the final again, but if we don’t, we don’t. It’s a really good field.
“We need luck, but it’s all up to Stanley now.”
