When Steve Fitch announced this week that he was retiring his Million Dollar Chase runner-up Cumbria Kid, along with that dog's almost equally successful littermates, it completed a fairytale which began when he was gifted a bitch called Hill Top Belle, or "Holly" as she is known around her owner's Nowra household.
Cumbria Kid
Kevin Gordon, who raced the 2010 Paws Of Thunder winner Lochinvar Marlow and a swag of top notchers bearing the Lochinvar prefix, presented Hill Top Belle to Fitch when he learned the south coast businessman was seeking to establish a breeding line.
"The late Robert Smith, who trained Lochinvar Marlow and the outstanding stayer Lochinvar Vogue for Kevin Gordon, had trained a couple of dogs for me 20 years ago and I happened to mention to him I wanted a bitch with potential as a producer.
"Robert asked Kevin if he could find me the right greyhound and he gave me Hill Top Belle, who was by Collision from Kevin's top stayer Lochinvar Vogue.
"Hill Top Belle won only five races before going amiss but her first litter to Fernando Bale, whelped in May, 2018, included Peter Mosman Opal finalists Cumbria Belle and Cumbria Ninno, Cumbria Jim, who won 17 races and just on $66,000, Cumbria Dreaming, who was fastest in the litter and won 24 races and over $102,000, and Cumbria Lad, who won six races here for over $32,000 before going to New Zealand where he won a stack of races."
Cumbria Dreaming
"Fernando Bale was the sire of Hill Top Belle's second litter, whelped in March, 2020, and early in their careers they looked like being no better than 'bread and butter' dogs.
"But as they matured they got so much better, with Cumbria Kid eventually winning 27 races and $250,365 and chasing home Jay Is Jay in the 2023 Million Dollar Chase."
Cumbria Kid
"Cumbria Days won 16, Cumbria Miss 15, Cumbria Days won 11 and Because Of You won four but all up this litter earned over $553,000.
"Hill Top Belle only had two sets of puppies because being such big litters it took a lot out of her so I decided not to breed from her again but to let her spend the rest of her life on the lounge in my home.
"Cumbria Dave, who won $45,000 prizemoney, has already been re-homed and is living a happy life on the Queensland Gold Coast.
"I am confident Hill Top Belle's offspring are going to breed on successfully because Cumbria Ninno's first litter, now 17 months old and just beginning to race, are by Fernando Bale and are showing great promise.
"As they are by Fernando Bale, they are 75 percent related to the litter which produced my Million Dollar Chase runner-up Cumbria Kid.''
Fitch, 50, formerly owned Jim's Cleaning Master Franchises, assisting people to establish and conduct their new franchise business endeavours.
"But I pulled the pin in October last year and while I am supposed to be semi-retired I am now working 100 hours a week with my greyhounds,'' Fitch quipped.
"Money comes and goes but you can't put a price on the wonderful memories I have had from greyhound racing.''
Shaun Guthrie, a Port Macquarie brickie's laborer who trains greyhounds as a hobby, gets his chance to land his first big win when Bandit Chloe exits box seven in Sunday's $25,000 to the winner Ladbrokes Muswellbrook Cup final.
"Bandit Chloe is easily the best greyhound I have had in my 12 years as a trainer,'' Guthrie said.
"Box seven is not really the draw I wanted, I would have liked a rails box, but at least Bandit Chloe won't crash towards the inside when she jumps.
"Her heat time of 33.34 was the quickest for the 571m and her effort to win from box four was good because the dog in box three veered out and a couple of runners outside Bandit Chloe came across to the fence and she got bumped.''
