Craig Gardoll has held an owner-trainer's licence since 1980 but after spending most of the past four decades acting as "strapper'' for father Reg Gardoll's successful team he has branched out as a trainer in his own right with exciting youngster Perfect Nangar.
Perfect Nangar overcame a slow start to win over 407m at Grafton on Monday in 23.10s, second quickest time of the meeting.
Craig Gardoll bought Perfect Nangar less than a month ago from famous western districts breeder Dennis Barnes, and made his race debut at Grafton.
Gardoll's father Reg, a successful trainer for the past 50 years who won the Group 1 Vic Peters Classic in 2005 with Watch The Web, said: "Perfect Nangar is going to become a pretty fair dog if Craig can get him to come out of the boxes a better.
"Craig has always been happy to be my offsider on our 15 acre property at Pillar Valley in the Clarence Valley district but has finally picked up the lead and collar himself again.''
Perfect Nangar is a 22 months old son of the Barnes family's wonderful brood bitch All Too Fancy and leading sire Fernando Bale.
Nangar Silk, a winner of eight from 13 starts, and Nangar Freedom, who has won four out of nine races, are from the same litter.
Meanwhile another Dennis Barnes-bred star, Nangar Rust, who could be the best of them all, is about eight weeks away from returning to the track.
"Nangar Rust has been sidelined with a cracked hock but his latest X-ray, taken on Monday, look promising,'' trainer Michael Hardman said.
Nangar Rust has won seven of his past nine races and clocked sensational times of 28.39s over 515m at Bulli and 29.36s for the same distance at Sandown before finishing fourth at that Melbourne track and suffering the hock injury.
Weston (CESSNOCK) hobby trainer Paul Roderick had a birthday to remember when he turned 42 on Saturday, the day his bitch Ms Vuitton scored her seventh win in 18 starts at LADBROKES GARDENS.
Just 48 hours later Ms Vuitton's litter brother Speedy Vuitton took his record to two wins and six placings from 10 races with an impressive win over 450m at Maitland.
Ms Vuitton and Speedy Vuitton are offspring of Roderick's brood bitch Splash About, whose previous litter included the ill-fated Mr Vuitton, described by his trainer as "the fastest dog I've had.''
Mr Vuitton won eight of 23 races before his career was cut short prematurely when he smashed a hock at LADBROKES GARDENS in August, 2017.
In 2017 Mr Vuitton looked a possible group race performer after winning in a sizzling 29.85s and in 30.06s at Wentworth Park as well as posting a blistering 22.05s over 400m at Maitland.
"Veterinary opinion was that Mr Vuitton might get back to the track after he broke his hock but he passed away while being operated on for that injury,'' Roderick said.
"Speedy Vuitton has each of his past two races and is not far behind Mr Vuitton in ability so I expect to get to Wenty Park with him.
"I trialled Speedy Vuitton at Wentworth Park earlier in the year and he clocked a very respectable 30.20s for the 520m at his first look at the track.
"Splash About, the dam of Mr Vuitton and Speedy Vuitton, has had only two litters but is now 10 years old so has been retired and is happy making a nuisance of herself at my home.''
Saturday’s Ladbrokes Red Dog Bonus Final at Nowra looks a "toss of the coin'' between record-breaking kennelmates Awesome Catch (box one) and Winlock on Top (box five).
In Sunday's heats Awesome Catch broke a long-standing track record when he covered the 520m in 29.46s, taking his tally to 29 wins from 56 starts.
Kennelmate Winlock On Top stepped out in the following race, 20 minutes later, and matched Awesome Catch's time to notch his 12th win in two dozen outings.
"They are both owned by a Victorian-based syndicate headed by Jane Mallard, who I have been training for over the past two years,'' trainer Jodie Lord said.
Lord rates Winlock On Top "slightly'' quicker than Awesome Catch, but the box draw could be the big leveller on Saturday as Awesome Catch will wear the red rug.
He has had five wins and two placings in seven outings from the rails trap.
