Total Faith, the unlucky runner in the Temora Cup heats on March 9, bounced back three months later to score his first Wentworth Park win on Saturday night, clocking his best city time of 29.82 despite turning four in April.
Trained by Alan Clare at Nangus, near Gundagai, Total Faith began brilliantly and led throughout from the Wagga-trained Scorching Boy, who ran on well for a distant second after bungling the start.
After the race Alan Clare said: "Total Faith was running second behind Speedy Pie in his Temora Cup heat but was dragged down from behind, and the Golden Easter Egg winner Power And Glory went on to win the race.
"As a result of that incident, Total Faith was sidelined for three months but he has come back as good as ever.
"Total Faith had box five tonight and is actually well suited there because if he draws inside, he tends to step to the right in the early stages.
"But from box five, he runs straight to the first corner and then carves across to the fence.
"Total Faith is a very underrated dog, as he was in the listed Pink Diamond final at Warragul as a maiden and also made the final of the Wagga Cup.
"I train him for Arthur Poulos, who has bred several litters but is in poor health at present, so this win will give him a boost.''
Total Faith
Len Haaring, who trains out of Cooks Gap, near Mudgee, had motor trouble soon after leaving home and almost turned around and missed Saturday's Wentworth Park meeting.
But luckily for Haaring, he persevered and was rewarded with a Wentworth Park win when his dog Bernardo Beach led throughout to win a 520m fifth grade in 30.26.
"The turbo in my van packed up soon after I left for Sydney and I contemplated turning back and scratching the dog,'' Haaring said.
"It was a nightmare trip because the van struggled to get up any hills, where I was reduced to going no quicker than 10kph.
"I phoned my roadside assist provider when I got to Wenty and all they could offer me was a tow truck, hardly practical when I had a greyhound in the van.''
Haaring, 66, retired six years ago after being the manager of Woolworth's Supermarket at Mudgee from 2002.
"I had owned a small supermarket but sold it, and to fill in time, I got a job filling shelves at Woolies during the evenings.
"Not long after that, they offered me the job of store manager, but I am loving retirement, just racing my greyhounds.''
Ashby Tex, who recorded his first Wentworth Park win on Saturday night for trainers Eloise and Allan Manwaring, was a gift from his breeder, fellow trainer Steve Fitch.
After Ashby Tex ran down pacemaker Gypsy Parade to win by a half-length in 30.27 in a 520m fifth grade, Eloise Manwaring explained: "When Steve Fitch's brood bitch Cumbria Ninno was due to whelp in July, 2023, he was in Bali on holiday.
"Allan and I whelped the litter on his behalf and as a thank you Steve gave us Ashby Tex from the litter.''
Ashby Tex is a litter brother to Fitch's outstanding duo Cumbria Jack, a brilliant winner at Brisbane's The Q on Saturday night, and to Cumbria Benny, a finalist in the group one Flying Amy Classic there later in the evening.
Overflow Jill clocked a near record first sectional time of 5.27 on the way to her all-the-way win in the fastest time of the meeting, 29.67 on Saturday night, taking her Wentworth Park record for trainer Craig Chappelow to 13 wins from 46 appearances.
And in the "hottest" fifth grade in months, the Jason Magri-trained Robert Keeping ran down Peter Sims' speedster Unleash In Miami to win in 29.89.
Before the race, the astute Magri said: "Robert Keeping has a good draw in box five tonight, because his kennelmate Zipping Kristoff, who has box four, is a good railer.''
Robert Keeping's win was his fifth in six Wentworth Park outings and completed a massive night for owner Charmaine Roberts, whose bitch Sooty Keeping won Saturday's group one Flying Amy Classic final at Brisbane's The Q.
