At 83 Jacky ROY isn't keen on the 760km round trip from his kennels at Wallandbeen, near Cootamundra, to Wentworth Park, but when he does make one of his rare appearances he seldom goes home empty-handed.
Last Friday's Wenty meeting was no exception, with ROY being successful with each of his starters, Bull's Chance taking out the Temora To Wentworth Park Final by five lengths in 29.96 and Ace's Chance running down Lagoon Mandy to win a fifth grade in 29.90.
Bull's Çhance
ROY's winners are rAced by their breeder Michael "Harvey" Hugo, who breeds and rears pups on a property at Cootamundra.
Hugo has been ROY's number one owner since buying a daughter of legendary local breeder Teddie Doss' bitch Aziz Osti, named It's A Chance. The Doss-bred bitch puppy began racing in 2010 and won a dozen rAces before becoming the mother of Half A Chance.
The hundreds of subsequent winners from the ROY/Hugo camp since have descended from her.
They include Perfect Chance, whose 67 rAces yielded 36 wins and 17 placings along with Extreme Chance, who won 48 rAces, and whose sister Rear Chance, a 20-time winner, is the dam of Wednesday's Wentworth Park winners Bull's Chance and Ace's Chance.
Bull's Chance's win was outstanding as he bungled the start from box four but ripped through the field to lead at the first turn.
Despite running off the track and colliding with Magpie Harry, Bull's Chance took off again and bolted in, running home in 11.76.
Those figures were the best of the night, quicker even than National Futurity hopeful Zipping Teresa, and surprised even Jacky ROY, who thought Bull's Chance could be vulnerable at the end of 520m.
No wonder then that after he declared Ace's Chance superior to his litter brother, that greyhound was able to overcome his customary moderate getaway to defeat Lagoon Mandy, having her first rAce since whelping a litter of pups, in the strongest fifth grade of the meeting.
Interestingly Jacky ROY said Clive's Chance, a son of Extreme Chance so closely related to his Wentworth ParkWednesday winners, is even better.
"He is out of action at present but Clive's Chance has won nine of 15 over 320m and 330m at Wagga and Temora and is a hot youngster, what's more, he can run 520m,'' ROY said.
Jacky ROY got his first greyhound in 1970 when Rex Kay, a policeman who trained greyhounds as a hobby, talked him into buying a puppy.
ROY's wife Lorraine insisted on buying the 11-month-old "weed" of the litter, and he cheekily named the pup The Fuzz, in honour of his policeman pal.
ROY recalled: "The Fuzz could run but was extremely timid.
"To overcome her wariness of people I used to take her every afternoon to the local primary school and stand with her as the kids came rushing out yelling and shouting.
"That way The Fuzz got used to noise and to people and while she didn't win in the city she became a handy greyhound and once beat the top-class city bitch Valodia in a rAce at Richmond.''
ROY rates his best dog as Lucky Ferrari, who, in the early 1990s won 28 rAces, including 14 at Wentworth Park, and earned $98,000 after breaking the Dapto record and taking out the Penrith Derby, Dapto Silver Collar and the top grade Penthouse Pets Cup at Wentworth Park.
"When Lucky Ferrari was racing the prizemoney was not within cooee of what it is now so to earn nearly $100,000 in those days was mammoth,'' ROY said.
Pagewood owner-trainer David Harvey had the distinction of winning at Wentworth Park on Friday with only his second starter in a rAce.
When Brother's Keeper clocked a smart 29.99 finishing second to Flash Boom Bang at Wentworth Park on December 22 he was the first runner Harvey had trained.
After Friday's Wentworth Park win Harvey explained: "Originally he was trained for me in Western Australia but the trainer there advised me the dog would do better in a small kennel, getting a lot of personal attention.
"So I brought him home to my suburban house and he has thrived, especially enjoying his regular swims alongside the thoroughbreds in Botany Bay.''
