Patience & persistence pays off for My Bro Connor

By Jeff Collerson

A dropped hind leg muscle usually spells the end of a career on the track but My Bro Connor, trained by Peter Barnes at Portland, has twice been inflicted with that injury and still bounced back to winning form.

My Bro Connor won over 520m at Bathurst on Monday in 30.02s, the fastest time the rising four-year-old has posted for the 520m trip at Kennerson Park.

Prior to Bathurst My Bro Connor had finished third at Wentworth Park on February 29, before being runner-up there on March 7 and again four nights later.

Monday's Bathurst win took My Bro Connor's record to 10 wins and 25 placings from 62 starts.

"His troubles started when he won at Bulli on May 15 and pulled up with a dropped hind leg muscle,'' Peter Barnes said.

"Then six weeks after coming back he sustained that injury on the same leg again.

"My veterinary surgeon Matt Kwong gave me hope when he said that if I brought him along slowly and did the right thing by the dog there was a 50 per cent chance My Bro Connor could race again.

"I put him My Bro Connor in a paddock while he was recuperating and then did a lot of walking with him.

"I exercise my dogs through the bush and I walk My Bro Connor for one hour and 20 minutes every morning.

"Because he does so much walking, rather than slipping and trialling, I think it has helped the leg stand up so well.''

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Aston Lee, who went within .01s of the LADBROKES GARDENS 515m record on March 15 at only his sixth start, could tackle the group 3 New Sensation or the fourth and fifth grade Ultra Sense at Wentworth Park's Golden Easter Egg carnival.

Aston Lee was having his first start beyond 472m when he led throughout from box six at LADBROKES GARDENS, giving Zipping Bailey's 29.16 record a shake.

"He is a case for an inside box but he can really run, and his second win, over 472m at Bulli, was in 26.07,'' Jason Mackay said.

"All being well I might give him a crack at one of the lesser races during the Easter Egg carnival, either the New Sensation, a group 3 for young dogs with no more than 10 wins or 20 starts, or the Ultra Sense.

"I also plan to give Aston Sapporo, who has run 29.73 at Wenty, and Turbo Thomas, who has won over the Wentworth Park 520m trip and is in tomorrow's Husqvarna Maitland Cup final, shots at the Easter Egg.''

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DUE to the uncertainty surrounding the eligibility of greyhounds coming from Victoria to Sydney for next month's Golden Easter Egg, Saturday night's Perth Cup winner Simon Told Helen will remain in Western Australia for 10 days before heading directly to NSW.

Simon Told Helen (pictured), already the winner of Albion Park's Queensland Derby and Silver Chief Classic at The Meadows, led throughout to snare the $150,000 Perth Cup first prize at Cannington.

It took the brilliant front-runner's earnings to over $420,000 and trainer David Burnett said he will nominate Simon Told Helen for another race at Cannington this Saturday.

"He has not had a lot of hard racing lately so needs another good blow-out run before I head for NSW with him to tackle the Golden Easter Egg.''

Simon Told Helen had to be scratched from the group 1 Ladbrokes National Derby final in late January after being bitten by a spider.