Owner Jeff Eaton has paid his up-and-coming greyhound Blazin' Fire the ultimate compliment by declaring him "as good as, if not better" than his family's former crackerjack La Grand Logie.
Eaton's wife Carole trains Blazin' Fire who opened his Wentworth Park account in dazzling style on Thursday night, coming from second early to hit the front going through the pen and then careering away to win by 10 lengths in a slick 29.86.
Jeff owned and trained La Grand Logie, who from 2014 to 2017, scored 27 wins and 30 placings from 105 starts for over $111,000.
After Blazin' Fire's win, Eaton said: "He is not quite 22 months old but has always shown exceptional ability.
"In his first look at The Gardens, as a puppy, he clocked 15.80 in 270m trial, then he ran 22.30 over 3884m at Gosford and finally a fast 29.60 over 515m at The Gardens, all before he had even raced.
"Carole and I raced his dam Regal Savannah but gave her to a breeder in Wagga in return for a pup from her litter by Tiggerlong Tonk.
"We selected the black dog puppy and that's Blazin' Fire.
"Regal Savannah could run but was a bit erratic, though Blazin' Fire is all business when he steps onto a racetrack.
"On Thursday night when he went around the pacemaker Royal Magpie going through the pen he copped a bump but did not miss a stride, he just kept going.
"That's the sort of chasing tenacity that impresses me.''
Blazin' Fire
Trainer Mick Clayton attributed Bandit Trixie's first win in 10 attempts at Wentworth Park last Thursday night to regular visits to Richmond for "finish on" lure race meetings.
Bandit Trixie had posted just two minor placings from nine previous Wentworth Park appearances until Thursday night, when she led all the way to beat five time Wenty winner Zipping Divall by a head in a nippy 29.86.
"Until Thursday night Bandit Trixie had not nailed the start at Wenty like I knew she could,'' Clayton said.
"But what really made the difference to her attitude was her racing at Richmond on three Sunday nights, August 4, 11 and 25.
"I deliberately nominated Bandit Trixie for those meetings because on Sunday nights the finish-on lure is in operation there, and that innovation has really sharpened this bitch up.
"It made her keen to go again and I only wish there was a track in my area which embraced this technology.
"Dapto, Bulli, Goulburn and Nowra are the closest tracks to me and many others but none of them conduct finish-on fixtures.
"I can't see why each of them could not feature a finish-on race meeting every month.''
Bandit Trixie
Athlete Tick even surprised her trainer Shaun Evans with her near record 297m win in maiden class at Dapto on Thursday night.
Jumping in front from box five, Athlete Tick gradually increased her lead throughout, winning by eight lengths in 16.76.
Those figures were just .10sec outside the track record set in May 2021 by Typhoon Tim, who went on to win 20 of 43 races.
"I'm not sure if Athlete Tick can run 520m but I'm going to find out soon enough,'' Shaun Evans said.
"I am nominating her for a 400m race at Bulli on Tuesday and while she will go into that without a run on the track I'm hopeful she goes to the line strongly."
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"My wife Kayla-Jane Coleman and I reared Athlete Tick and her litter sister, who is just as quick, from when they were around 10 months old and broke them in for their owners Cassandra and Michael Billingsley.''
The Billingsleys raced Athlete Tick's dam Tick Warrior, who won 14 , including a 520m Free-For-All at Wentworth Park, for trainer Danielle Swain.
