Not long after, he rugged up Dip It In, a victor in 10 races (six of them at Wentworth Park) who earned just over $40,000.
Then along came Jungle Deuce, a dual Group 1 winning star trained by Jack Smith, who made Albion Park a home away from home and gave Jaggers an unbelievable ride alongside co-owner Clay Mawson.
“Noone has been more blessed than me mate. I’ve had a lot of good luck and hopefully it continues on,” Jaggers said.
“’The Deuce’ was the stuff dreams are made of to be honest. He is at stud now and he’s off to a good start. He’s got about a 20% winning strike rate and if we can pinch a really good race out of him, that’ll pick up even more.”
“But we’re quite happy at the moment. Breeding has taken a hit so he’s not getting as many straws as he could have got years ago but we’re getting a lot of good feedback and he hasn’t even had a full season of progeny on the race track yet.”
The 'Get On The Deuce' crew after Jungle Deuce captured the 2022 Ladbrokes Paws Of Thunder final
The 59-year-old not happy to rest on his laurels either, instead ushering in a talented new brigade of Chasers he hopes can make a mark in the upcoming Ladbrokes Million Dollar Chase (MDC) series.
Flash Boom Bang, Tarzan Teddy, Princess Killara and All Powered Up are the names to keep an eye on, with each on their own path towards what Jaggers hopes will be a million dollar pay day come October 18.
“I think with some luck, Flash Boom Bang could be as good as ‘The Deuce’. Jack [Smith] is taking him down to The Meadows for a run this weekend but he’ll be back up here for the Dubbo MDC qualifiers. He’s a freak,” Jaggers said.
“Tarzan [Teddy] is with my mate Patrick Parrelli, alongside his sister Princess Killara and they are beautifully bred by Jungle Deuce out of Nangar Freedom. We will have a throw at the stumps and put Tarzan-teddy">Tarzan Teddy into the Blacktop first at The Gardens and hopefully qualify for the MDC. He’s got a great personality and would run through a wall for you. Princess Killara might not have the early box speed just yet but she’s just as good as her brother.”
“Tracy Barnes and Jason [Harmer] did such a great job rearing that pair. CHRIS and Sandra Spratt broke them in and did an awesome job as well. That whole operation Dennis and Ann setup is just so good and if we had more people like them in the greyhound game, the sport would be in a better place.”
“And another great mate, Steve Lambley, who is as mad as a meat axe, has got All Powered Up and no one looks after a dog like that bloke. The dog is out of Solar Sky’s second litter and has plenty of ability so we’ll see where he’s at when the MDC heats roll around as well.”
Combined, the four Chasers have had just 67 race starts between them for 27 wins already.
Flash Boom Bang is a Group 1 Vic Peters Classic runner up, Tarzan Teddy made the same feature final and has great early dash, Princess Killara had no luck in the Group 3 Magic Maiden decider in April and All Powered Up has claimed eight wins from 16 starts.
The good times continuing to roll on for Jaggers and his valued trainers.
“Put it this way, I love Thursday mornings when the lady from GRNSW sends me the prizemoney emails,” he laughed.
“I’m always happy to hear from her. And I hope it continues because there’s some great races coming up over the next couple of months. I never thought I’d get another dog like ‘The Deuce’ but some of these young dogs are very exciting.”
“I try not to get too high in this game because I know it’s a long way to fall if it doesn’t work out. I try and stay grounded even when a new dog emerges. I’ve won a couple of races by a nose and lost a few by a nose over the journey but I’m still having a great time no matter the result.”
The 2024 Ladbrokes Million Dollar Chase series kicks off at Maitland on August 26. It will then weave it’s way around NSW with 16 different qualifying events before the semifinals will be held at Wentworth Park on October 10.
The seventh Ladbrokes Millon Dollar Chase winner will be crowned on Friday, August 18
