Four For Rees At Muswellbrook

Landing four winners at a race meeting is commonplace for big Sydney trainers like Andy Lord but Sam Rees, who got his first dog in 2016 and only took up "serious training'' 12 months ago, achieved that feat at Muswellbrook on Saturday.

Rees won a 431m race with Lady Blip before taking out a trio of 336m events with Turbo Power, Call Me Smiley and Panama Lady.

Ironically, Rees could not be at Muswellbrook due to family commitments, and he left the task of bringing his team to the track and handling them to his 17-year-old strapper Jack Lilley.

"Recently I have had urgent family business to attend to in different parts of the state so I received permission from GWIC for Jack Lilley to train and handle my greyhounds,'' Rees said.

"He is the grandson of successful breeder Alex Verhagen and is a terrific asset to the sport, I don't know what I would do without Jack, even though he is six months away from being able to obtain his own trainer's licence.''

Rees was a stock agent and auctioneer at Condobolin, Tamworth and Gunnedah before retiring due to ill health 15 years ago.

He snared Wentworth Park wins with Murrurundi Boy in March and April and believes that dog is ready to win in town again.

In the mean time Rees has particularly high hopes for Lady Blip, who scored her second win in four starts at Muswellbrook on Saturday.

"She came back from being broken in with a glowing report, the breakers said she was a lid-pinger,'' Rees said.

"And she will have no trouble winning over further than the 431m at Muswellbrook.

"I am especially proud of Call Me Smiley winning because he had several trainers before I got him.''

Frog Stomp is being prepared for next Saturday's GRNSW Middle Distance Series grade five over 600m at The Gardens. following his sizzling 515m win there last Friday.

Frog Stomp overcame his customary moderate getaway to win easily in 29.30, just .34sec outside the course record set by French Martini last September.

"His run home time was 11.98, and that is in the class of dogs like Zipping Kyrgios,'' trainer Jimmy Magnisalis said.

"That's why I would like to step him up to 600m.''

Magnisalis, 52, has been training greyhounds since he was 18 but has always been in the work force and kept only a small team of six or less.

A plasterer by trade, Magnisalis also finds time to be lure driver at the popular Redhead Trial Track, which has been boosted recently through funding by GRNSW.

"I worked for Michael Ivers for a while and learned a lot from him but my real mentor as far as training greyhounds goes was the late Duncan Dart,'' Magnisalis said.

"My best greyhounds have been Sky Racer, who was essentially a big track dog but notched up 20 wins and 20 placings between 2002 and 2004, and top class bitch Queen Cleopatra, who had 13 wins and 24 placings in 2005 and 2006.''