Jonathan Gatt celebrated going full-time as a greyhound trainer with a winning double at Maitland on Monday, including one with Going Bush, who was a gift from her owner-breeder Peter Spiteri.
Gatt also won with Going Bush's litter brother Black Jack Kade, who is owned by Spiteri, a highly successful breeder who raced the greyhounds' dam Sarita.
"I landed a winning double at Richmond a couple of years ago but this was my first since I moved onto two acres at Toronto to have a crack at making a go of being a professional trainer,'' Gatt said.
Gatt, 30, took out a licence at 18 and rates Latent Energy, who won 14 races in 2019 and 2020 as his best performer.
"While I am having a crack at training full time I am also doing an exercise and sports science course at university,'' he said.
''I have had a lengthy association with Peter Spiteri and he offered Going Bush to me free of charge because she was not only the weed of the litter, but also disappointed him when she was being broken in.
"But I have won nine from 25 races with her and because she is out of a top class bitch like Sarita, I believe she could become a good brood bitch when she is finished on the racetrack.
"At this stage I only have a small team in work but have been encouraged by being asked to train a couple of dogs for the marvelously successful breeder and owner Marty Hallinan.''
Local trainer Frances Goodwin had a stellar night at Nowra on Monday, not only landing a winning double but training the quartet which ran the first four in a 365m fifth grade.
Goodwin, currently leading the Nowra trainers' premiership, won over 520m with the promising Smooth Avenger in 30.04 while her four starters in a 365m race, Catch A Cobra, Pepper Kade, Loongana King and Shades Of Rose, finished first, second, third and fourth.
Goodwin's quartet made the punters happy too, as they were the most favoured in the betting, with Catch A Cobra the $2.10 hotpot ahead of Pepper Kade at $2.30 while Loongana King and Shades Of Rose were $7 and $11 chances respectively.
