Terry Jordan has lost his lounge chair. And, following the performance of his kennel star Fernando Blaster at Casino on Friday, it may be some time before Terry gets it back.
Over the past two weeks with extreme heat and bushfires in the region, at Ettrick north of Casino, Terry has ‘invited’ Fernando Blaster into the house to shelter, and the dog has - as many greyhounds do - taken over the lounge.
“He’s taken over my lounge chair. He won’t let me near it,” Jordan said. “I brought him inside a couple of days last week because of the heat and I’ve had him inside a couple days this week because of the heat and smoke.
“I was just trying to tick off all the boxes to look after him and keep him in a A1 condition, which I’ve done, but in the process I’ve lost my lounge chair.”
After a few days in the chair last week, Fernando Blaster came out and broke the track record at Casino in their Cup heats, running 27.08s. On Friday in the Group 3 Cup Final, he flew out of the two box, and not only was the race soon over, but his own record was in his sights.
On the post, the clock stopped at 26.91s, the first dog to ever break the 27s mark.
“Did I think he could run that today? Probably not,” said Jordan. “If any dog could do it, it probably would be him, but it was a hot, dry day today and I thought to myself today is not the day to do it. Maybe in winter time in good conditions, not a day like today … hot, dry and windy, no it’s not happening today, they won’t run a quick time today.
”Yet again he has proven me wrong.”
It’s not the only time recently Fernando Blaster has “made a mug” of his trainer.
After Fernando Blaster won the $40,000 to the winner Lismore Cup last month, Jordan said he wasn’t that confident about contesting the Casino Cup as he felt the track didn’t suit his dog that well.
“Yeah he’s made a mug of me, hasn’t he?” Jordan said. “He has trialed brilliantly at Casino, was a length and a half off the track record going back five or six months ago, so I knew he could quick, but that was just a solo trial and things are so much different in a race.”
Some would say Fernando Blaster was solo trialing in the $25,000 to the winner Cup Final. He jumped on the lure and was never threatened, winning by 7 ½ lengths from Short Pork, with Painted Picture a further 6 ½ lengths away in third.
The win was Fernando Blaster’s 18th from just 40 starts, and took his prizemoney to just shy of $140,000.
The next target on Jordan’s radar is the Group 3 Golden Ticket match-racing series to be held at Albion Park in Brisbane on December 26.
* Photo Lisa Vanderstok
