Good Odds Cobber may be the name up in lights today after claiming the Beast Unleashed Gosford Gold Cup, but the talented youngster is just the next in a lengthening line of stars to emerge from one of the sports best dams.
The Frank and Tracy Hurst-owned Good Odds Meghan is responsible for throwing the couples latest sprinting star, with the winner of 12 races herself also a Group 3 placegetter in the 2019 Ladies Bracelet final.
“She was a really top race dog, but we retired her early to breed from,” Frank Hurst said.
“From day dot, we planned for her to be our foundation brood bitch. She always seemed like she wanted to be a mother and she’s done a pretty good job of it so far.”
Success in the breeding barn has been a staple of Good Odds Meghan’s post-race career, and it doesn’t look like slowing down either.
She produced 98 winners across 2023 (the 16th most in the country but at the equal-sixth best strike rate of dams in the top 100) and is now a mother to 2022 Group 1 Dapto Megastar champion Good Odds Emma, the aforementioned Group 2 winner Good Odds Cobber (replay below), and Group 3 placegetter Ties That Bind.
Her three litters to hit the track so far include 14 pups by Fernando Bale, as well as a group of six by Barcia Bale, with the 20 combining for 561 starts and 176 wins at a strike rate of just over 31%.
The total career earnings of the three litters? A tick over $650,000 and counting.
“There’s probably few better [than Good Odds Meghan] producers in terms of strike rate in the country,” Hurst said.
“She had Group dogs in the first litter. There’s some fast ones in the second litter like Good Odds Rascal (a 22-time winner from 45 starts). And now Good Odds Cobber and his brothers and sisters have come along.”
“And she’s got a litter of four to Aston Rupee who are about five months old, two dogs and two bitches. We’ll break them in and see what happens and then we’ll send her back to Fernando Bale for her fifth and final lot of pups at the end of the year.”
The line’s prominence also extending well beyond the feats of Goods Odds Meghan.
Good Odds Harada was a Million Dollar Chase and Group 1 Dapto Megastar winner for the Hurst’s back in 2019, and an accumulator of 36 wins and over $1.3 million in prizemoney.
While the Jack Smith-trained Feral Franky ran in 12 Group finals in the space of a year, winning 55% of his 44 starts, while also claiming Group 1 success in the 2019 Vic Peters Classic.
Good Odds Meghan’s half-brother, Little Digger, was a Group 1 placegetter in the 2018 National Derby and a runner-up in the G1 Association Cup over 720m, finishing less than a length off staying star Veloce Nero.
And her half-sister, Nino De Oro, is the mother of gun Chaser One Hot Bandit and another Hurst success story in Good Odds Cash.
The Group 1 National Sprint champion from 2022 now a mother as well.
“Good Odds Cash had 10 pups to Barcia Bale about five weeks ago. As soon as they’re ear branded, six of them will be for sale and we’re hoping to take some to the Richmond puppy auction in May as well,” an excited Hurst said.
“I think the puppy auction is one of the best things for the industry and what better way to get new blood into the industry than by selling them one of these pups.”
“They’re all the same, sensational temperament, they’re smart, they don’t do anything wrong and that’s why the line has been so successful. People who buy them ring me and say, “Jesus Christ Frank, they’re a beautiful dog, how do you get them like this?”, and I just say, “it’s born in them” and that will continue with the latest litters out of Meghan and Cash.”
Two of the new additions to the Hurst kennels out of G1 winner Good Odds Cash
The 77-year-old Hurst adamant sustained success in the training ranks still begins and ends in the breeding barn.
“It’s hard for a trainer to get a good dog in the kennel unless they own it because people in the know don’t give good ones away too often,” Hurst added.
“We’ve got a sensational line at the moment and a lot of people have had success with it. We tapped into it just by a fluke when we bought Good Odds Harada and Good Odds Meghan so we we’ve been lucky in a sense.”
“But anyone can buy into it. Goods Odds Cash’s pups are virtually the same way bred as Good Odds Meghan’s litters (same grandmother in Solar Pak) and we’ve already got enquiries about them. And if you buy a bitch, she doesn’t even have to race to still be a valuable breeding commodity down the track. That’s the best part.”
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