Anthony Dawson admits he was so excited he struggled to sleep on Wednesday night after his bitch Pepe Morada carved out a near 520m record 29.37 at Richmond.
Pepe Morada, bred, owned and trained by Dawson, railed to the lead going through the first turn and bolted away to score by six lengths in figures just outside the 29.11 track record set by Coin Model over two years ago.
Despite Pepe Morada's brilliant time, Dawson is in no hurry to bring her to Wentworth Park.
"She was sidelined after finishing sixth there in December and did not return to racing until Wednesday night, so she was out of action for 10 months,'' Dawson said.
"Pepe Morada is very strong, so her fast run home time on Wednesday did not really surprise me - but I was astounded that she led so quickly and clocked such a fast time overall.
"My family and I want to look after this bitch because she is everyone's favourite greyhound in the kennels - we all fight over who takes her out for exercise because she is so much fun to be around.
"I am thinking of stepping her up to a middle distance because she is bred to stay.
"I own her dam Kylie Keeping, and she was as strong as an ox, she won seven races and finished fourth to Miss Ezmae in the 2021 Sydney Cup final over 720m at Wentworth Park."
"Pepe Morada is from Kylie Keeping's first litter, to Fernando Bale.
"While I was so excited on Wednesday night, I could hardly sleep, I have since begun putting things into perspective.
"At Richmond, it was warm and the breeze had dropped away by the time Pepe Morada's race came along, then she got a dream run at the first turn when the dog who was battling with her for the lead, Loco Storm, ran wide and gave my bitch plenty of room.''
Pepe Morada, who will be three in February, did not win her maiden race until her seventh start, when she recorded a slick 29.65 over 515m at Gosford in December.
Another greyhound with a special bond to its trainer is Nangar Archie, who was turned five last month and notched his 27th win in near record time at Temora on Wednesday.
Nangar Archie, who has also registered 35 placings from 87 races, has earned over $94,000 for owner Sam Mayer and trainer Caitlyn Brewer.
Mayer, a highly successful Sydney businessman, owns 20 racers and pups and said that while Nangar Archie has always been among his favourite dogs, the greyhound has formed a special bond with his trainer Caitlyn Brewer.
"From day one Nangar Archie has had a real affinity with Caitlyn,'' Mayer said.
"He has now won his past three races over 330m at Temora, all in very fast times.
"The reason Caitlyn has been restricting Nangar Archie to short course racing is the dog had a couple of issues over being deemed to not trying hard enough in longer events.
"Since limiting his racing to sprints and keeping Nangar Archie fresh, Caitlyn has been able to string together a heap of wins with him.''
Nangar Archie's past nine starts, over 330m at Temora, 318m at Dubbo and 340m at Gunnedah, have resulted in seven wins and two placings.
