Legendary punter and former Sydney newspaper greyhound racing journalist Gary Manning has succumbed to cancer, aged 73.
Manning began his career as a journalist on the News Limited publication Sportsman, before becoming the greyhound writer for the Sydney afternoon newspaper The Sun.
His Manning's Ratings were a popular feature in The Sun until he quit journalism to concentrate on punting on the greyhounds.
Even when he was on Sportsman, earning something like $300 a week, he was making such a success of betting that on Thursday pay day he would head off to Dapto dogs where his customary opening bet was usually a $500 wager.
In 60 years in the sport I have not encountered a better judge of form than Gary Manning, who was so good he once sent the on course totalisator broke at a Friday night Richmond dog meeting.
My back page story in the following day's Daily Mirror told how the tote wanted to pay him with a cheque but he refused, pointing out he was only allowed to bet with cash so wanted to be paid the same way.
Gary and I raced a greyhound called Tivoli Bonarra, who was trained by Charlie Gatt and who won over 720m at Wentworth Park and 732m at Harold Park in 1984.
Gary and his wife Julie are also part-owners of recent group 1 thoroughbred placegetter Zou Tiger.
Gary was a "soft touch" when it came to down-on-their luck punters, trainers and even media personalities asking for a hand-out. I have no doubt he is still owed thousands of dollars.
He took losing nights on the punt in his stride. His only stress came when his beloved Parramatta Eels were beaten, a setback that sometimes saw him struck down with migraine.
GRNSW wishes to extend its sincere condolences to Gary Manning's family, his wife Julie, brother-in-law Scott Woodward, stepson Brad, daughter-in-law Renae, twin grand-daughters Malli and Cayla, along with his brother Paul Manning and Paul's sons MATTHEW and David. Another brother, Graham Manning, is deceased but is survived by his children Ben and Kathryn.
