Lismore Cup winner Fernando Blaster had not raced or even trialled at Ipswich until last Thursday night but he took after his mother, Amy Lyndan, in showing a liking for the Queensland track and bolting away with a heat of the Group 1 520m Gold Cup.
Trained by his breeder Terry Jordan at Ettrick, in the NSW Northern Rivers, Fernando Blaster led throughout to win his heat by five lengths, at the same time equalling Champagne Sally's two-year-old track record of 29.97.
Fernando Blaster, who has now won 16 of 37 starts and earned $112,000, has drawn box three in Thursday night's $75,000 to the winner final.
"The draw could have been better but it also could have been worse so I'm not complaining,'' Jordan said.
"In his heat Fernando Blaster did not begin brilliantly but mustered good speed from the boxes and was soon in front.
"His mother, Amy Lyndan, did not race over the 520m trip at Ipswich but she used to fly around there from the 431m boxes.''
Fernando Blaster is raced by Merv Papworth, who paid $3000 for him on the day he was born.
Terry Jordan trained Fernando Blaster's dam Amy Lyndan, who won 12 of 33 starts and clocked 24.74 for the 431m trip at Ipswich, just .20sec outside course record time.
When Amy Lyndan was retired and it was time for her to be mated with boom sire Fernando Bale, Mark Wilkes, a pal of Jordan's from Casino, agreed to pay the service fee.
In return Wilkes was to receive two fully-reared pups from the mating, and one of those greyhounds, Painted Picture, has won 19 of 39 races including the Grafton Sprinters' Cup, for $86,500 in stakes.
When Terry Jordan phoned Merv Papworth to tell him Amy Lyndan had produced a litter to Fernando Bale, he offered him his choice from the pups.
Papworth inquired as to the youngsters' colouring, and when told there was a dark brindle dog Papworth settled on that youngster, which now races as Fernando Blaster.
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GARRY Streatfield won with Glenreagh Skud at Casino on Friday but a few hours later was evacuated from his property because of bushfires and had to transport his 16 greyhounds to the safety of Grafton track.
Streatfield, based at Glenreagh, in the Coffs Harbour area, won the 2013 Casino Cup with Glenreagh Rocket and will have a crack at the up-coming 2019 event with that greyhound's nephew, Glenreagh Skud.
"It's hardly the ideal preparation is it?'' quipped Streatfield after he settled his dogs into the Grafton track kennels and found a motel room for himself on Saturday.
Streatfield's 2013 Casino Cup winner Glenreagh Rocket, a son of Magic Sprite and Avon Lee, registered 30 wins and 20 placings from 72 starts.
The dog's litter sister Magic Diore was no slouch as a racer and was runner-up in the 2014 Gunnedah Cup and her son Glenreagh Skud has notched 25 wins from 80 starts.
Streatfield is aiming to have Glenreagh Skud in this year's $25,000 to the final winner group 3 Charcoal Inn Casino Cup, to be held over 484m on November 22 and 29.
Streatfield has no family connection to greyhound racing, but became interested in the sport while serving in the Royal Australian Navy.
"When I could I attended Wentworth Park with a few mates on Saturday nights and it wasn't long before I wanted to train a greyhound,'' Streatfield recalled.
"I am self-taught because I knew nobody inside the sport so bought several books on how to train greyhounds and went from there.''
Troy Donaldson, another ex-Navy man, is currently enjoying great success as a trainer, and took out this year's Young Star Classic at WP with Jet Jackson.
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THE aptly-named Try Catch Me had Potts Park racegoers searching for the superlatives after his sizzling all-the-way maiden final win in track record time on Saturday.
Trained at Gorokan, on the central coast, by Jim Pateman, Try Catch Me exploded from the boxes and won by over seven lengths in 17.91, fastest time ever posted for the 320m trip on the Sydney suburban course.
The dog had led throughout to win his heat in 18.09, scoring by a similar margin.
The winner is a son of Iona Champion, who won at WP in March, 2015, for Jet Jackson's trainer Troy Donaldson.
