Joanne Zammit has seldom had a starter at Wentworth Park in over 30 years as a trainer but the Londonderry conditioner landed her first a winning double there on Friday night.
Zammit scored with Pick Up Gus, who took out the 280m Maiden Final in a slick 16.21, and Acting Foolish, who won a fifth grade over the same trip in 16.36.
Joanne's best greyhound was Rilo Gear, who had 24 wins and 32 placings from 100 races, and was a top grader over 520m at Wentworth Park.
But while she has rarely raced at headquarters Joanne grew up in Glebe, a stone's throw from the track, and as a youngster spent most Sunday mornings on the course.
"My late father Arthur, who everyone called Gus, used to take my brother Stephen and I down to Wenty first thing every Sunday morning to collect discarded tote and bookies' betting tickets from the previous night's race meetings,'' Joanne recalled.
"We would climb over the fence and walk around the betting ring with a duffel bag and fill it with old betting tickets from the previous night's racing.
"Then we would go back home, spread out the Sunday paper open to the previous night's dog results, and check each ticket to see if it was worth anything.
"It was a time consuming way to spend our Sundays but you would be surprised at how much money we earned when we returned to the track on race night to cash in all these unwanted tickets.
"I bought Pick It Up, the dam of my Maiden Final winner Pick Up Gus, at the Richmond puppy auction and she was trained for me by Peter Lagogiane.
"Pick It Up won a dozen races and was a Wentworth Park winner and Pick Up Gus, who is by Fernando Bale, is from her first litter.
"My son John Grief, who is also a trainer, talked me into breeding a litter from Pick It Up and I'm glad I did because I have a high opinion of Pick Up Gus.
"The dog was trialling really well at Richmond before I discovered that my local track was to be shut down for six weeks.
"I was reluctant to race at Wentworth Park but my son again insisted I should not wait for Richmond to reopen but to head to Wenty with Pick Up Gus for these 280m Friday night meetings.
"So I gave Pick Up Gus a couple of looks at Wentworth Park before he won his Maiden heat last Friday week in 16.17 and then he led all the way in the final.
"I'm pretty confident Pick Up Gus will run 520m when he matures because he is does not turn two until July and his run home times at the end of 280m suggest he will get further.
"The dog's name comes from my grandfather who sold fruit from a horse and cart around Glebe and he was a regular at Paddy's Markets.
"When he knocked fruit onto the ground he would say to his son, who was my dad "pick it up Gus.''
"I actually applied to name this dog Pick It Up Gus but was not allowed to use that four word name so called him simply Pick Up Gus.''
