Shayne Williams was the lure driver when Shakey Jakey broke the Wentworth Park 520m record in April, 2014, and now the WA-based trainer will be banking on his greyhound Iconic Jet giving him a crack at his first group one success when he contests Saturday night's heats of the Ladbrokes National Derby.
Williams, who has been a leading trainer in Western Australia for the past six years, will also have Iconic Jet's litter brother Rippin' Moses in the Derby heats.
His pair trialled impressively at Wentworth Park before the first race last Saturday night, with Iconic Jet all but falling as the boxes opened before covering the 520m in a smart 29.79.
Rippin' Moses then slipped on the mat in front of the boxes as he jumped, but was still able to clock a slick 29.88.
"I reckon Iconic Jet's run was equivalent to a 29.40 effort if he had got away cleanly,'' Williams said.
"He has won 14 of his 21 races and is usually a reliable beginner, not a lid-pinger but a dog who goes quick when he hits the ground, especially from when he rounds the first turn.
"I've been training for 32 years and Iconic Jet is the fastest I've had, with Rippin' Moses about three or four lengths slower.''
Williams bred his two smart sprinters from his bitch Rippin' Memphis, a winner of 11 races who he brought to Sydney for a major carnival several years ago, only to see the events cancelled due to Covid.
Firethorn, the one-eyed greyhound who had to trial successfully in order to be able to race, made an impressive debut at Grafton on Sunday.
Trained by Mark Moroney, Firethorn had an eyeball removed last year on the advice of a veterinarian who specialises in eye injuries and ailments.
"Before I could race her she had to trial satisfactorily and she certainly did that, clocking .13sec outside track record time over 350m at Grafton on November 3,'' Moroney said.
"But her return to racing had to be put on hold because she tore a toenail out and it took five weeks for the flesh around the quick to heal.
"Firethorn only trialled 20.21 last Monday week but came out and ran down the leader on Sunday to win in 19.91.
"She is not at her peak yet but what pleased me on Sunday was the way she zoomed around the leader as if she had complete vision.''
For Moroney 2024 was a year he'd rather forget, especially as his crack middle and long distance bitch She Is Fire had to be retired after winning 24 of 42 races.
"Hopefully I've used up all my bad luck because I had four starters at Grafton on Sunday and they all won, despite each of them coming out of box five,'' he said.
Moroney's other winners were 17 month old siblings Fiery Piastri and Fire Me Up, who won over 350m in 20.33 and 19.94 respectively, and Goldmine Fire, who scored over 450m in 25.37.
"I think Fire Me Up especially has a bright future while Goldmine Fire could develop into a handy stayer as he matures,'' the trainer said.
