A month ago few had even heard of a dog called Vista Yttrium but the former Victorian, now trained in western NSW by Jay Opetaia, has burst into calculations for the Ladbrokes Richmond Derby following two outstanding performances at the Londonderry track.
After winning four of 25 starts for famous Melbourne trainers Tom and George Dailly, Vista Yttrium was purchased by Opetaia acting on behalf of several NSW owners.
In his Richmond debut on January 31, Vista Yttrium was beaten one-and-a-half lengths by boom bitch Depeche in 29.55 before stopping the clock at 29.50 in Friday night's win.
"I don't know what I'll do with him this week but the Derby heats on February 21 are his main goal,'' Opetaia said.
"He has been in my kennel for just over a month but I knew he was good when he trialled 29.68 at his first look at Richmond.
"He obviously wasn't a cheap buy because he had clocked 29.23 at Sandown but even so I am surprised the Dailly family were prepared to sell him.''
The unusually titled dog gets his name from "yttrium" which is a transition metal classified as a rare earth element often used to increase the strength of aluminium and magnesium alloys.
Vista Yttrium
Margaret Greer has been watching greyhound races for 72 years and while she doesn't like to travel these days she still knows how to train and was in the winner's circle at Richmond on Friday night with Peckham Lass.
Owned by former GWIC steward Michael Tyszyk, Peckham Lass notched her seventh win in 29 Richmond 401m appearances when she clocked a nippy 22.61 after coming from third place at box rise.
Greer, who will be 78 this week, started "going to the dogs" as a six-year-old, accompanying her father Len Greer, who raced regularly at Young and the long defunct Cootamundra circuit.
"In those days children under 18 weren't permitted to attend greyhound racing but at Young and Cootamundra trainers could drive and park their cars by the fence along the back straight,'' Greer recalled.
"So I would hide under a blanket in the back of Dad's van until we got through the gate and that's how I was able to watch his dogs racing.
"I can't walk too well now, so I have only two greyhounds in work, along with old Watta Barghest, who won 17 races and is now 12 years old.
"Wombat Magic, a very slow dog of mine who won two of 100 starts, was re-homed to a lady at Nowra.
"Only recently I lost my two old favourites Watta Whisper and Watta Speck, who were rising 16 years of age.
"Watta Whisper, who was trained for me by Ruth Matic, won 47 races and Watta Speck won 10 so they were great money-spinners.
"Another good dog for me was Barby Wal, who was purely a short course dog but who won 40 races.
"These days my partner Glen Jones puts the dogs in the car, I drive them to the Richmond track, and then two wonderful young ladies, Christine Simonetta and Holly King, kennel and take them to the starting boxes.''
Peckham Lass with Christine Simonetta
Margaret Greer bought her first greyhound in 1975 for $350 and racing as Romaro's Triumph and trained by Carol Murray, that greyhound won 22 races including the 1977 Tweed Heads Galaxy.
Best greyhound Greer has trained herself remains Golden Ambition, who defeated the legendary Victorian stayer Bold Trease in the 1987 Metro Toyota Cup at Melbourne's Olympic Park.
"The trophy for the race was a little Toyota car which was never going to be any good for me and my greyhounds, so I was able to trade it for a dog friendly van,'' Greer quipped.
