With news filtering through this week that million-dollar earner Power And Glory had run his last race, it seemed appropriate to trace his journey back to the beginning.
Enter Vince Murray Jnr – the unassuming, yet proud breeder of the Group 1 champion.
Murray Jnr trained Power And Glory's mother, Kwong Magic.
A speedy race bitch who won seven of her 15 starts over the shorts at Bulli, Gosford, Richmond and Wentworth Park. At the culmination of her career, Murray Jnr and his late, best mate Peter McCann made the decision to breed with her.
The pair siding with Hooked On Scotch as the sire in a decision that would produce one of the best chasers of the last decade in Power And Glory.
“Peter lived at Glebe, across the road basically from the Wentworth Park dog track and he used to call himself ‘The Guru’ of breeding,’ Murray Jnr said.
“I’d pick out different sires for different matings and he would always say “don’t do anything until you consult ’The Guru’ Vince”.
The late Peter McCann with Cunningham - a litter brother to Power And Glory
“We went to Hooked On Scotch because of his dam line with Nicki Fields. She’d bred some good dogs like Poke The Bear and Out Of Range so she seemed like a really good brood bitch. I also wanted to pick up the Barcia Bale line as well who was Hooked On Scotch’s father.”
“Thankfully ‘The Guru’ approved and the rest is history as they say.”
Speaking of history.
Vince Murray Jnr was born in the Sutherland Shire of Sydney in 1942.
Vince Murray Jnr in 1967 with greyhounds outside the family home
His family were avid greyhound fans, that was until his father, Vince Murray Snr, tragically died of a heart attack behind the starting boxes at Lithgow in 1974.
Murray Jnr decided to take some time away from the sport during the 1980’s to raise a family with wife Coral.
During that time, he turned his hand to pigeon racing where he was commonly known as the Bart Cummings of the pigeon scene.
“We built some pigeon lofts at Gymea and used to race them up and down the east coast,” Murray Jnr added.
“When I was younger, I was winning lot of races and it was pretty competitive…there were over 100 pigeon fliers in the Shire. In later years, I raced a lot of Janssens and Meuleman cross pigeons that would come out of overseas lofts.”
“They’d send the offspring over here and they’d get auctioned off. I paid $3,500 for a pigeon once, which is nearly more than Power And Glory cost.”
Vince Murray Jnr with wife Coral and their three sons outside their pigeon lofts at Gymea in 1987
Eventually, Vince returned to the greyhound racing scene.
He picked up winners here and there but in 2010, illness struck him down.
“I had to go in and have a bowel operation for cancer so I wouldn’t be able to look after the dogs for a while,” he said.
“That’s when Jeff Eastburn started coming around and walking the dogs while I was in hospital.”
“I dealt with ‘Todd’ [Jeff’s nickname] 40 years ago when we were both young. He had a general equipment and tool hire service and I used him for ages. He lives around the corner, I reckon I can walk to his place in three minutes flat.”
“Once I was on the mend, we would walk together and that continued for a number of years. Jeff always wanted to walk the best dog I had, so once Kwong Magic came along and started winning some races, he was happy to hold her lead. One day he said to me “I want to buy the first blue dog out of this girl” and we made sure that happened.”
Kwong Magic in action in 2020
Kwong Magic, named after Murray Jnr’s vet and good friend Matt Kwong, delivered a litter of five pups in 2021 – two of them, blue dogs.
Eastburn collected one and named him Power And Glory, while Vince held onto the brother, Polaris Missile.
“I sold the litter for $5000 each but because I know ‘Todd’ [a nickname for Eastburn], I let him have Power And Flory for $4000,” Murray Jnr said.
It ended up being an absolute steal as Power And Glory went onto win the 2025 Ladbrokes Million Dollar Chase and Golden Easter Egg titles on his way to more than $1.4 million in career earnings.
Eastburn and trainer Kenny Burnett took Power And Glory to the stratosphere and Murray Jnr couldn’t be happier for them.
“I missed the million dollar race so didn’t find out the result until the morning. But once I got up and watched the replay, I said “holy hell, he’s done it”…I just couldn’t believe it,” Murray Jnr said.
“Ken and Jeff and the whole team did an exceptional job and even though the injury is a sad way to finish his career, gee they had a lot of fun with him. Those sorts of dogs don’t come along every day so I’m really happy for all of them.”
So, as the curtain falls on Power And Glory’s immense career, what lies in store for Murray Jnr's breeding plans.
“Well, Imade a promise to Peter [McCann] before he died. He rang me on his dying bed to say goodbye and asked if I could do him one last favour,” he added.
“I was sitting there bawling my eyes out as my best mate was about to pass away, and all he said was “get Talented Lady mated to Aston Rupee, don’t forget.”
“So, I’m waiting for her to come on season. Then I plan to breed with Power And Glory’s sister, Moments Of Magic, as well.”
And the greyhound world can’t wait to see what they produce.
