Hey Coops, I thought we should give the good natured Vad a break and leave his thread alone. To be honest I have already completed a comprehensive response to you along the lines of this one but due to something (????) I did wrong, I lost it. So here we go again. I was also at Wenty that night and am surprised that I did not "bump" into you. Were you in the Paddock or the Leger. Wenty on even an average night, let alone a big night, was a debacle. So many people and so little room. I did recall Beau Brin as be very inexperienced but I had forgotten that he was a maiden and also that his racing career finished at that point. He was owned by Warren Harper himself and also by a Terry Burdett, a young man in a wheelchair. Warren's father, Les, had trained Another Glitter to win the St Leger just 2 or 3 years earlier. Les was, like Warren, a top man with a dog. My recollection is that he also had Forest Gleam, I think who won a Futurity and another one in the 1970s, Arkaroola, an extremely good dog from Tassie who won a big race in NSW. My Stud Book #24 indicates that Beau Brin when at stud was owned by F (Fred????) Homburg, a very prominent Vic dog identity. The dog served a lot of bitches and I do see his name come up in the bloodlines carrying through to today. Beau B was by top stud dog and Derby winner Chariot Charm out of top racer and great brood bitch, Scuff. She was Top Linen from Eliza Ann and produced lots of other top racers such as but not only Idle Imp, Foursome Lad, Adam Bede, Lake Road, Scuff That, Wests, Pagan Rate and Ruben James. Heavens knows who I have omitted. Scuff was a litter sister to probably an even better racer and maybe also brood bitch in Blue Autumn. She was good. She produced racers like but not only, Autumn Luck, Little Lou, Lucy's Penny, Main Issue, Delphi Dancer, Kyawa, Lucy's Deb, Lucy's Gem, Lucky Sprite, Shamus O'Shaun and Wynoki. Coops I am sure you will have a fond memory of one or more of these. They were good days and I never got mugged once walking back from Wenty to Central Station. I doubt that I would be so lucky these days. I certainly was not a "Rocker", "Sharpie" or "Surfy" and therefore, if I had been bashed, would probably have been bashed on the basis of being a "Mod", albeit, a pretty poor excuse for one.

Oh yes they were the days my friend. You mentioned a few dogs I know vey well. Another Glitter what a great dog that was. Main Issue. (Wiping tears from my eyes.) just thinking about that dog.

Remember Bunyip Bint trained by Stan Cleverly out at Minto, one of the few dogs who beat Zoom Top fair and square. But had to break the track record at Harold Park over the 800 yards to do it though. For memory the time was I think 42.7 and she held it for many years, 10 I think.
Remember ONLY TEN and SARA PRINCESS. These two staying bitches were tiny dogs Around 47lbs, but brilliant stayers. These two were Harold Park specialists. Then what about FARRAFLASH. A dog who could and always did come from being tailled off around the back straight and still get up and win. SILENT RETREAT and FARRAFLASH were voted Quinella king and queen two years in a row.
So many wonder dogs to mention in just one post.

coops

Yes Coops I do remember all of them. By the way I said that Forest Gleam might have won the Futurity but I see in my stud book # 21 that she was unplaced in the final behind Anne Lewis (Billy Fletcher ex Australian Middleweight champ and supreme dog trainer). Anyway Forest Gleam was a top bitch for sure and I do think she won a feature race of some sort. She was I think owned by that Sealey bloke from SA who had a lot of coursing dogs sending the occasional one across to the East. At this point I am concerned that dementia is setting in with me as I note that against Forest Gleam there is no mention of L Harper as trainer but trained by an R. Martyr. I also notice in that Futurity Final, Jacana Girl. She was owned by Terry Orriss who resided out your way (Werombi). He had the Jacana kennels and trial track. He had another fast one in Jacana Prince who held the Lithgow sprint record at 16.6 for quite a while. Re Bunyip Bint, if she put her head down and went for it, there was nothing that could beat her at Harold Park over 800 yds, a freak, it was almost unbelievable. However, she did not have the consistency nor versatility of Zoom Top. And yes Bunyip's record at Harold Park was 42.7 (and she did it at least twice) and it stood for a long time, at least until November 1981 (source Stud Book #30), well over a decade. Even then National Lee could get it down to only 42.69 and Shy Julie a year or two later in to 42.67. I am pretty confident that the track was a bit faster in the early 80s than it was in 1969, that's for sure.

You know mate, If the powers to be would get their act together we could get another Harold Park at Menagle Park inside the trot track. That indeed would be grand.

National Lee. Good heavens mate you really know the good ones.
What about the Moss dogs. Pearl Moss, Rose moss, Mister Moss, Honey Moss and lets not forget the champ Roman Earl, the fastest dog ever to go around Wenty 580 yrds. I think he had 22 starts for 18 wins, and lets not forget Top Kabana who was the fastest maiden ever to go around Harold Park 500yds in 26.4.Or even BE KAY TOP, STRIPPERS PRIDE, PAYCART. So, so many.

coops

Yes Coops to have another HP would be great but I don't think it is going to happen. Nevertheless, I really loved to see those dogs come down the long straight to the winning post, more so when my dog was in front and going well. I preferred a night out at HP c.f. to WP any night of the week. The NSW dog industry has been in a state of depression for a long time and from where I sit there is no sight of that changing greatly in the near future. The media including 2KY don't give it a fair go. I can't understand 2KY's attitude that appears, in terms of airplay time, to "give more to the rich (gallops) and take more away from the poor (the dogs)". To be honest, I stopped listening to "Going Greyhounds " on a Thursday, as a matter of principle. It was too disappointing when on the only regular occasion of the week that the dogs got a bit of a go with regard to promotional media, every time they had to make up some time it was "Going Greyhounds" that was cut short. They referred to it as "commercial reality". I still do not listen to "Going Greyhounds" even though Jeff Collerson does do a very good job. Maybe things have changed for the better but I don't think so and in that I don't listen in, I don' know. It is all very depressing.

Mate where are you at, we must meet one day and ave a good chat.

coops

Coops, Travelmate.com.au says that we are 270 kms away from each. One day (maybe 2009) we will meet up and I will buy you a beer or two or whatever (I'm very flexible).

Ok thats close. You bring the beer and I'll bring the shiela's. Just like the old days.

coops