Just from time to time Neil Staines still picks up the shears, but that former life is now just a memory for the man who is chasing his first Group 1 on Thursday night at Dapto.
His grandfather Harold was a shearer. His father Brian was a shearer, and it was inevitable Neil, the kid from Condobolin who hung around shearing sheds from an early age, would also one day pick up the shears.
But he also picked up a collar and lead and would walk greyhounds for his uncle Fred before he was a teenager.
After leaving school Neil became a shearer as expected but also obtained his greyhound trainers’ licence and dabbled with the dogs.
He enjoyed good success but then decided on the urging of leading trainer Jodie Lord, that he should go full time, so in 2011 he did.
In the eight years since Neil has had plenty of success, travelling plenty of kilometres from his Yass base, chasing races.
He’s won numerous Country Cups, had a finalist in the 2015 Group 1 Peter Mosman in Tullabung Honey who was fourth behind the champion Fernando Bale, and in 2017 had Slamming Thunder finish fifth behind Striker Light in the Group 1 Golden Easter Egg Final.
But now he has a wonderful chance to win that elusive Group 1 at Dapto in the Beteasy Megastar Final with fastest qualifier Lightning VISION who won his heat in 29.63s, just a tick ahead of TAB Million Dollar Chase winner Good Odds Harada who posted 29.64s.
“I couldn’t be happier with him,” Staines said. “He’s pulled up really well, the best he has for a long time, and now he’s just chilling ready to go.
“I’ve looked at the draw (Lighting VISION has box seven) a couple of times, and the replays, and I know that bitch (Start A Riot who has drawn inside him in six) stepped a bit right the other night, but I’ve looked at a couple of her other runs when she’s been drawn out wide, she has wanted to come down across the field, so hopefully she does that and hopefully the eight dog (Double Back, another fast beginner) stay outs wide.
“We just need a little bit of luck in the first couple of metres so we can get a chance to possie up at the first turn, and we can give it a good shake.”
Staines nominates the Easter Egg final as the highlight thus far of his training career, but a victory at Dapto in the $75,000 to the winner feature, would clearly surpass it.
“You’ve got no idea what it would mean to me. It would mean the world,” he said. “Coming up to Christmas this year, to win something like this, it would be something that every person wants, and you would know your grandkids are not going to want for anything,
“It would mean everything to me and my whole family, and it would also mean that you’re doing things right with the way you’re training the dogs. And of course you have to have the right dog.
“But it won’t be easy, everyone wants a Group 1 win, and I’m no different.”
And as for shearing?
“That just a memory now for me. I do my own though. I have about 30-40 on my property and I do my own, but by gee I’m looking for that stubby when number 40 comes along.
”I think I’ve made the right career choice.”
