AROUND this time in 1990 Ron and Sue Alcock's fabulous bitch Classy Spider was being crowned the NSW Greyhound of the Year so it was fitting to see Ron Alcock train a winning treble at Dapto on Thursday night.
Alcock won 297m races with litter siblings Ninja Mac in 16.90, Ebony Panda in 16.96 and Ebony Dancer in 17.33, seven years after winning six races and filling 19 placings with another three home-bred litter mates Sherlock, Here's Roary and Here's Skeeta.
Alcock trained Classy Spider, one of the most consistently fast beginners seen in NSW, from his current property near The Oaks at Belimbla Park, 86km from Sydney.
"The trio which won at Dapto on Thursday can run 520m but I don't like driving all the way to Wentworth Park any more, the traffic is too stressful,'' Alcock said.
"There is nothing between Ebony Panda, who has won five from 10 races, and Ninja Mac, who has won seven from 15, and while Ebony Dancer is not quite as good she will get better.
"She will improve a lot on the slow time of 17.33 she clocked on Thursday because that was her first run anywhere for six weeks.
"But if I trial Ebony Panda and Ninja Mac, one will go faster one day and the other goes quicker the next.
"I bred them from my good race bitch Explosive Brown, whose 12 wins included four over 520m at Wentworth Park.
A retired carpenter, Ron Alcock grew up with greyhounds and from the age of eight was assisting his father Fred train good dogs like Palomino Moss, Black Riot, Lapsy and Lee Moss.
"My father also owned the top class sprinter Big Redsun and the good stayer Cobber's Star who were trained for him by Leah and Hec Watt of Zoom Top fame,'' Alcock said.
"As a young bloke I was fortunate enough to often go to Wentworth and Harold Parks with Leah and Hec when they were racing Zoom Top and her litter sister Busy's Charm.''
The start of Ron and Sue Alcock's long-running sequence of success with greyhounds began when they bought a seven month old puppy out of a bitch named Spider Bite.
They named their pup Classy Spider, and she became of one the sport's all-time greats, earning the 1990 Greyhound of the Year title after winning 14 races in a row, including eight straight at Wentworth Park.
Her Wentworth Park wins included the 1990 final of the Group 1 Peter Mosman Classic.
"Those eight consecutive wins at Wenty equalled the record set by Roman Earl, the joint 1966 NSW Greyhound of the Year, and while Classy Spider was marvellous at Wentworth Park she was just as good on bigger tracks,'' Alcock said.
"Unfortunately when she was racing Harold Park was closed down but she showed her talent on one turn tracks by beating the outstanding sprinter Farmer Wilson in a Christmas Gift final at Cessnock.''
I can't recall watching a more reliable "lid pinger" than Classy Spider, and at the same time have not seen a trainer, with the possible exception of John Miles, who has produced so many fast starters as Ron Alcock.
Last Thursday at Dapto Ebony Dancer and Ninja Mac jumped in front and led all the way while Ebony Panda was second away but was quickly in the lead.
"I work hard on their box manners when they are being educated,'' Alcock said.
"Actually Classy Spider was a shocking beginner before she raced but I corrected this by leaving the back door of the box open and giving her backside a shove with my hand as the lids lifted.''
