When Ron Ulrick's Go Bears drew box three in heat one of the Ladbrokes National Derby at Wentworth Park last Friday night the trainer had told friends "I really believed we were just making up the numbers.''
But Go Bears did a lot more than simply contribute to the eight dog field, bouncing in front from box three and leading all the way in a slick 29.85, .06sec faster than boom Northern Rivers sprinter Starline Express recorded in heat two.
Now Go Bears will exit box eight in Saturday night's $75,000 to the winner final, giving 75-year-old Ulrick a chance at cracking his first group 1 feature in nearly 50 years in the sport.
Ulrick trains just two greyhounds from a house block at tiny Urunga (population 2000), between Nambucca Heads and Coffs Harbour.
And only for his daughter Karen Ulrick, Go Bears would now be with a different trainer.
"Early in his career I was training Go Bears for breeder Alex Verhagen when he was offered $15,000 for the dog,'' Ron Ulrick recalled.
"I advised Alex the dog was worth more than that so he told the would-be buyer the price was $20,000.
"Alex decided to sell for that figure but as my daughter knew I was keen to keep training the dog she came up with the $20,000 so became the owner and I continued on as Go Bears' trainer.
"She has already got her money back and Go Bears is not without a chance in the final because I don't mind him drawn in eight, he will run straight from the boxes to the first turn.''
Surprisingly Ulrick does not rate Go Bears the best he has trained, that honour being reserved for Supreme Citius, who won 20 races and was the Hunter Valley district 1982 Greyhound of the Year.
"She beat the Harold Park star Bobby Rich to win that award,'' a proud Ulrick recalled.
"Supreme Citius might only have earned $6000 in prizemoney but I bought my house for $13,000 so it's all relative.
"I do most of my trialling at Grafton, which is an hour and 20 minutes from my home, and keep the dogs fit by galloping them along a nearby beach.''
Ulrick paid tribute to legendary Hunter Valley trainer Ken Cheetham, 86, who has just retired from the sport.
"Cheeto has always been my mentor,'' Ulrick said.
"He trained Take The Kitty, the 2009 NSW Greyhound of the Year after winning the same award with How's The Fort in 1992.
"How's The Fort was at our place when he was a puppy but he was so wild Karen used to complain she could not catch him when she needed to do anything with him.
"So we handed How's The Fort over to Cheeto and soon after he started training him he phoned and said 'no wonder you can't catch him, he's the fastest dog I've ever seen'.''
