John "Manny" Antonelli, whose dog CASH In Colour landed a mammoth betting plunge at Grafton on Sunday, is almost certainly the only remaining registered trainer who has seen the immortal Chief Havoc in action.
Antonelli, 90 years young, showed he has lost none of his skill with the lead and collar when CASH In Colour, who firmed from $7.50 to $1.90 at one stage before starting a $2.40 favourite, led throughout over 450m at Graton.
Going into the race CASH In Colour's credentials were hardly imposing as the dog had won just once in 18 starts.
But Antonelli declared the dog "a certainty" telling friends: "This is the first time CASH In Colour has drawn box eight and he is absolutely desperate for that draw.''
It's doubtful if there are any 90-year-olds still training winners, but Antonelli's link with the sport extends back to 1946 when what would become a life-long love affair with greyhound racing was born.
"Chief Havoc, who was from Gunnedah, raced at Casino so that was a big deal around the Northern Rivers where we lived,'' Antonelli recalled.
"Kids weren't allowed to go to greyhound or harness racing in those days and I was only 13.
"But that wasn't going to stop me seeing this dog that all the fuss was about so I climbed onto a fruit box and watched over a fence outside the track as Chief Havoc won."
"My great grandfather had emigrated from Italy and settled at Woodburn, in the NSW Northern Rivers. in 1866.
"Later my father Lew began training a couple of dogs as a hobby and at 15 I started helping him with his small team.
"As soon as I turned 21, in 1954, I took out my own training licence.''
Nothing has changed because just as he did at Grafton last Sunday, "Manny" Antonelli loved a bet.
"When I started training there was a track at Ballina and in 1955 I landed a double there, and because there were a dozen bookmakers I was able to win enough money to buy a Holden car.
"The prizemoney was nothing like it is today, you had to bet to make a decent living out of the dogs.
"I would drive that Holden car to ORANGE with a dog or two in the back and often had the equivalent of $1000 on one of them and get as much as 5/1 ($6) for the lot.
"After she broke the track record in a maiden race at Casino, a bitch called Flighty Moon was purchased by my dad and I trained her along with another top notcher called Mary Wanda.
"Flighty Moon was a great money-spinner but was even better as a brood bitch because she became the dam of Spotted Lightning, who, when trained by Frank Bellamy, became one of the all-time greats.
''Mary Wanda was also a good producer and was the grandmother of both Ungwilla Lad, thr 1975 Australian Cup winner, and Miss High Lo, who won the 1973 and 1974 Sydney Cup finals at Wentworth Park, each of them in new race record times.''
When I interviewed "Manny" Antonelli for GRNSW's The Chaser magazine in February, 2005, he nominated John Finn as the best trainer in the state.
Nothing much has changed, as the late John Finn's widow Minnie, along with Jason Magri and JODIE and Andy Lord, are arguably NSW's leading exponents of their craft in 2024.
