Cash Grab As Pups May Head To Auction

There are plenty of sliding doors moments in the greyhound game, and although there’s no point dwelling on the near misses or ones that got away, it is still nonetheless intriguing to contemplate what could have been.

Like the story of Good Odds Cash.

The 2019-20 bushfire season wreaked havoc across NSW and Tallong residents Subawa (Subby) and Jenny Ngurah were caught up in the chaos.

“We’d been evacuated from our house because the bushfires around our area were getting pretty close and we didn’t know what to do,” Subby Ngurah said.

To make matters more complicated, the Ngurah’s former race bitch, Nino De Oro, had just thrown her first litter of pups. 

11 in total by Collision, all of which needed to be safely moved away from the impending danger.

“I wasn’t even in the country, I was visiting family in Bali when it happened so my wife Jenny took the pups to the kennels at the Goulburn Greyhound Club,” Ngurah added.

“Andy Lord soon found out we were a bit stuck and rang straight away and said “bring the pups to my place”. He said he would look after them until we’d sorted it out. And he refused to take a cent.”

So the pups made their way to Gunning and the sanctuary of the Lord’s property.

Before the fires, renowned trainer Frank Hurst had approached Subby to purChase one of the litter.

“We had some success with the Goods Odds Harada litter and Nino De Oro and Harada were both out of Solar Pak, so we were interested in the breeding line,” Hurst said. 

“We didn’t have any pups of our at the time, so I rang Subby to try and buy a few and he said they were all sold. Half an hour later he rang me back and said, “I’ve got a dog and two bitches, I’d like you to have one of the bitches”. So I said “great, I’ll come and pick her up on the weekend.”

“As it turned it out, the fires had gone around his place and the pups were up at Andy Lord’s. So I rang Andy and said “pick me one out”.”

So Lord, often a great identifier of greyhound talent, walked over to the pup-filled paddock and plucked out a black bitch.

“Frank rang me just as the ear brander was here. He wanted a bitch, so I jumped the fence, and the truth is, she was the first one that ran over to me,” Lord laughed.

“I could say she was deep chested and had a bit on the others but I’d be lying. Turns out it was Good Odds Cash, lucky Lord hey.”

The youngster broken in by the Hursts before making an inauspicious debut at Bulli on April 6, 2021, finishing fifth over the 400m contest in a moderate 23.04.

She appeared at Dapto nine days later in a fifth grade series heat over the 520m distance, claiming her maiden win in an impressive 29.94. A week later she took out the final in an eye-catching 29.79.

From there she quickly worked her way through the grades, picking up more victories at Dapto before winning well at Bulli and Wentworth Park.

Her first feature win coming in the 2022 Group 2 Maitland Gold Cup, and from there, she set sail for the Group 1 Golden Easter Egg.

A 29.63 heat run behind She’s A Pearl, followed by a runner-up finish to Louis Rumble in the semi-final landing her in the biggest race of her life. She was luckless in the final behind the great ‘Pearl’, but still managed to scamper her way onto the second step of the podium.

From there she went on to run fourth in the G3 Brother Fox final at Dubbo; she won the Group 2 Richmond Oaks in track record time (Coin Model has since run quicker); before claiming the Group 3 State Of Origin sprint at Albion Park.  

She also ran fourth in the inaugural Southern Stars series final at Goulburn, before her finest career win came in the 2022 Group 1 National Sprint at Wentworth Park.

Trainer Tracey Hurst said on the night: “Simply Limelight headed Good Odds Cash on the home turn, but our bitch would not give in.”

“Good Odds Cash was sandwiched between McInerney and Simply Limelight down the back straight, so it was a tough win.”

That defining win the last of her 58-start career, with the Hurst camp pulling up stumps after finishing down the track in the final of the Group 2 Black Top.

“She was in every good race that was on for over a year, and she was ranked as one of the best bitches in the country,” Frank Hurst said.

“Wow She’s Fast, Andy’s dog She’s A Pearl and her were the top of the tree and there hasn’t been three good bitches running around like that for a very long time. I honestly can’t remember when Australia last had three star girls like them.”

“And ‘Cash’ didn’t draw Box 1 in NSW in more than 12 months of racing at the peak of her powers. She got the 1 in QLD for the State Of Origin and smacked the best dogs they had to offer. COVID also called off the Million Dollar Chase in 2021 and I think she would have run well in that too. With a bit more luck, imagine what she could have achieved.”

The Ngurah’s also proud as punch of a greyhound Subby admits “they just loved to watch”.

“Every time she ran well, Jenny and I were both jumping up and down and were very happy for her,” Ngurah said.

“We whelped and reared her but we’re busy with a lot of breeding so we know we can’t keep them all. I was just really pleased to see her career success and am pleased for Frank and Tracey.”

The journey set to continue as well, with Good Odds Cash in pup to Barcia Bale and due before Christmas.

“The first scan showed there was three pups on each side but there could be more hidden away in there,” Frank Hurst said.

“We don’t typically sell our pups, but if we do, they don’t tend to go on the open market. But Greyhound Racing NSW is bringing back the puppy auction next year so we might head there as we think we can break the auction record,” he added.

The resumption of the puppy auction will take place at Richmond in May next year, with the race series to happen in November 2025. The auction will be for pups whelped between July 1, 2023 and January 31, 2024 and some boom youngsters have already been locked in to headline its return.