Clay Mullens, whose bitch Coast Model has drawn the coveted rails box in Saturday night's TAB Million Dollar Chase at Wentworth Park, was "born" into the thoroughbred racing industry but has always preferred racing greyhounds.
Mullens' parents Wendy and Terry owned champion racehorse Sebring, who won the group 1 Golden Slipper and Sires Produce Stakes in the 2007-08 season and earned $2.5 million on the track before becoming a leading sire.
"Being around horses like Sebring fuelled my passion for racing but I instead I somehow gravitated to greyhounds and in my early 20s started buying, breeding and training dogs,'' Mullens recalled.
"Time constraints due to my business interests, which included property development and a car yard selling prestige vehicles, forced me to quit training but I have always owned and bred greyhounds.
"One of my first was Clay Model, who only won three from just 13 starts but while she was very fast she did not always reveal her true ability on the track.
"I had been advised that talented but slightly wayward bitches can make good producers and that was the case with Clay Model, because she became the mother of Fast Archer, who won 21 races.
"Later she produced Champion Model, who was trained for me by JODIE Lord and who won the Goulburn and Canberra Cups and who became the dam of Coast Model, my representative in the Million Dollar Chase.
"For several years now my greyhounds have been trained by JODIE and Andy Lord and they are not only the best in the business but are impeccable people to deal with.''
Coast Model, who possesses good early pace, just managed to cross from her unsuitable box eight draw to lead at the first turn and win her Chase semi-final last week in 29.69, but she has clocked 29.58 while wearing the red rug, her livery on Saturday night.
Lektra Lad, who has qualified for Saturday night's group 3 Bob Payne Sprint, was bought for just $1000 at the beginning of the year.
After being placed just once, at Bendigo, from four provincial races in Victoria, Lektra Lad's owner purChased the dog for the bargain price and sent him to Hunter Valley trainer Mark Davidson.
Davidson immediately turned the dog's form around with Lektra Lad winning his first five races for his new trainer, at Bulli, Maitland and LADBROKES GARDENS.
On Saturday night Lektra Lad was a luckless second in Quinlan Bale's fastest 30.07 Bob Payne heat, being clipped from behind when leading at the first turn and veering off the track.
Lektra Lad hung on tenaciously and clocked a respectable 30.17 in finishing second, making him third fastest qualifier for Saturday's final, where he will exit box seven.
