Each of Jet Keen's 10 wins have been on his home track at Gunnedah but trainer Allan Syphers is hoping a good trial at Wentworth Park on Friday will indicate his brilliant front runner has turned the corner and is no longer a "one track wonder."
Jet Keen took his tally to 10 wins from 22 starts with an impressive victory in last week's 527m Gunnedah final of the Ladbrokes Million Dollar Chase, earning the dog a start in the 520m October 6 semi-finals at Wentworth Park.
Syphers, proprietor of a fencing contract company at Gunnedah, trains 10 greyhounds as a hobby after "falling in love with the breed" while attending high school.
"Along with a few mates at St Mary's College, Gunnedah, I just loved greyhounds, the look of them, the way they behaved, everything about them,'' Syphers said.
"So I have been racing them as a hobby for the past 40 years.
"I gave Jet Keen a post-to-post trial at Wentworth Park a fair while back and he went very ordinarily.
"While early in his career he would only do his best at Gunnedah, since I have taken him to Maitland and The Gardens he has gradually improved, even though he has not yet won anywhere except his home track.
"Jet Keen is from the second litter whelped by my bitch Lizzy Keen, who won 14 from 30 races and was placed in a Future Stars final at Maitland.
"Lizzy Keen has been a terrific producer with her first litter including Tiny Keen and Kitty Keen, who between them won 30 races, while Jet Keen's next litter siblings include Super Keen, who has won four from seven, and Dusty Keen, also a winner of four races.
"The first litter were by Fernando Bale while Jet Keen is by Ausse Infrared and I am about to mate Lizzy Keen with Bernardo.''
Ron Bell, Wentworth Park's leading trainer a decade ago, has made a successful comeback to the sport with his latest success being with Tilly Devine in a 336m maiden race at Muswellbrook last Wednesday.
Bell, who has state-of-the-art kennels at Blacksmiths, a coastal suburb of Lake Macquarie, owns and trains a small team of five.
It's a far cry from Bell's glory days when he put the polish on outstanding greyhounds like Sammy Bell, Lorna Moira and Umatilla.
"I'm 72 and only decided to get back into the sport to give myself something to do,'' Bell said.
"I'm only training dogs I've bought myself and they are all cheapies, just to have some fun.
"When I took Tilly Devine to Muswellbrook I had not raced there for 20 years and was astounded at how fantastic the place is now.
"It used to be a little 'goat' track but these days has everything one could wish for, the amenities, kennel block and track itself are first class.
"The best of my dogs is Lily Moira, which my long-time friend Jimmy Magnisalis generously sold to me for just $5000.
"I named her in honour of my old favourite Lorna Moira, who had 15 wins and 31 placings and in a 12 month period from 2008 to 2009 reached the finals of the Golden Easter Egg, Paws Of Thunder, Ladies Bracelet and National Futurity.
"She was just a rung short of being a true group one bitch but it was a great thrill to have her reach four big finals.
"I won nine races at Wenty with Umatilla but my fastest was probably Sammy Bell, who was a finalist in the 1992 National Derby at Wentworth Park won by Little Denver.
"When I had Sammy Bell I still had my L-plates on as a trainer and probably wasn't much help to him so he must have been a very good greyhound.''
AT last Wednesday's Muswellbrook meeting Best Ever, prepared by another veteran trainer, Pat Parrelli, set a new track record in winning over 366m in 18.96.
Parrelli, who trained 2009 Group 1 Peter Mosman Classic winner Devine Road, was responsible for naming the sport's most famous greyhound, Zoom Top.
"In the late 60s I was working for Zoom Top's trainer Hec Watt when he informed me he had a sensational unraced bitch puppy prospect by Black Top from Busy Beaver,'' Parrelli recalled.
"Hec asked me to think of a good name for her and while doing his lawns I noticed the ride-on mower had a BP Zoom fuel sticker attached so suggested he call her Zoom Top.''
