Northern Rivers trainer Aaron Newstead must surely have achieved a unique double when his bitch Snake And Ladder led all the way to win over 300m at Casino last Thursday in course record time, a week after her kennelmate and litter sister Key And Chaos had created a new time standard for the same trip.
The 18 months old Key And Chaos scored her 14th win in 23 outings when she won in 16.45 at Casino on December 12 before chasing home her sister Snake And Ladder in 16.41 last Thursday.
Newstead, whose brother Ryan won 31 of 67 starts with Terra Torra, the dam of the new Casino record breakers, wasn't surprised when Snake And Ladder, a $3.80 chance, secured her 11th victory in 19 attempts as she defeated the $2.40 favourite Key And Chaos last week.
Snake And Ladder | Photo: Lisa Vanderstok
"When I say there is nothing between them I mean it because in one trial Key And Chaos will beat Snake And Ladder but the next time they meet the result is reversed,'' Newstead said.
"It's almost as if they take turns to see who is going to win.
"I'm not sure if they will be able to run 500m but I'm in no hurry to find out because while I will give them a go further down the track they are having too much fun to change things now.
"All being well they will be back in at Casino this week.
"My brother Ryan trained their mother Terra Torra who won over $100,000 prizemoney, but these days he is more interested in surfing and the beach than worrying about greyhounds.
"Snake And Ladder and Key And Chaos, who are by KC And All, are part of Terra Torra's second litter.
"Her first litter were not as good because they were too excitable, they tended to use up all their energy before they raced.''
The Newstead name has been linked to greyhound racing in the Northern Rivers for more than six decades, with Aaron's great uncle Peter Newstead the trainer of Stalker, a giant topliner, while Aaron is closely related to Billy Northfield, father of Casino club president Mitch Northfield.
Billy Northfield trained the legendary sprinter Pretty Short, who raced 13 times at Casino for 12 wins and a second and retired with a stellar career of 58 wins from 88 appearances, setting 15 track records in the process.
Darryl Thomas and his partner Michelle Sultana had to be content with second prizemoney when You Never Lose was runner-up to History's Coming in Wentworth Park’s 2023 National Derby but believe they can get a second chance in the 2024 classic with their "lid-pinger" Mark To Market.
Owned by Mark Merlino, for 30 years a bookmaker at Randwick and Rosehill and for 44 years a bookie at Wentworth Park, Mark To Market scored his fourth successive all-the-way win when he won over 520m at headquarters last Thursday night.
The dog also jumped in front when he was run down Ayden's Warrior at Wentworth Park five starts back on November 7, posting a quintet of consistently quick first splits of 5.44, 5.43, 5.35, 5.40 and 5.47.
"When he started racing at Wenty I thought he was only going to be a handy fourth and fifth front-runner but his run home times keep improving so Darryl wants to give him a crack at the Derby,'' Merlino said.
"He pointed out that Mark To Market is eligible for the group one Derby heats on January 11 by just 24 hours.
"The series is for dogs whelped on or after October 1, 2022, and Mark To Market was born on October 2.
"This dog reminds me of that brilliant beginner Classy Spider, who became the 1990 NSW Greyhound of the Year after winning 14 races in a row including eight straight at Wentworth Park.''
While Merlino is a renowned thoroughbred racing bookmaker, he has always been "a greyhound man at heart" with his mother Rita training Spanish Dancer, Wentworth Park's 1972 National Futurity winner.
The 2024 Futurity series, for bitches whelped on or after December 1, 2022, will be staged simultaneously with Mark To Market's National Derby mission.
