RAY Thomas landed his first winning double in just over 12 months when Blakey Boy and Flo Magic scored at Richmond on Friday night but was back there a few hours later to help out fellow trainers CHRIS Carl and Rob Tyler catch their greyhounds after their Saturday morning straight track races.
"I didn't have a runner on Saturday but went over to give CHRIS and Robbie a hand,'' said Thomas, one of the sport's army of trainers always ready to assist their colleagues.
Thomas, who grew up helping his father Les with his greyhounds, bred his first litter of pups in 1972 and has rarely been without a greyhound since.
"I had a bit of luck with that first litter, which were sired by the 1969 National Sprint Championship winner Red Zero,'' Thomas recalled.
"They could all run but probably the best of those pups was a good dog called Zero STOMP.
"I bought Flo Magic and her litter sister Baby Magic when they were two years old for very little money from their breeder Kerry Drynan.
"Baby Magic has won seven races while Friday's win was the second for Flo Magic.
"Before last Friday my previous winning double had been with Zig Zag Banjo and another bitch Kerry Drynan bred called Wishing.
Magic Lace is a daughter of Midnight Lace, a marvellous producer for Drynan and the dam of Billy The Sid, El Conquistador, On The Avenue, Friend Of Man, Besame Mucho and Take The Crown.
WHEN litter brothers Cumbria Lad and Cumbria Dreaming ran the quinella in Saturday night's 520m Masters race at Wentworth Park, they achieved a remarkable milestone for their owner, Nowra hobby trainer Steve Fitch.
Cumbria Lad's win took his earnings to more than $113,000 while Cumbria Dreaming's runner-up prize lifted his stakes to over $94,000.
But after the race Fitch pointed out that two litters produced by his brood bitch Hill Top Belle had now accumulated more than $500,000 in prizemoney.
Yet Hill Top Belle was presented to Fitch as a gift by her previous owner, successful breeder Kevin Gordon.
Last Saturday Cumbria Dreaming was the $4.80 second favourite while Cumbria Lad was an $11 outsider but Fitch was not too surprised to see his lesser light edge out his brother.
