Just Like His Mum, He's A Winner

He was one of the show stoppers at that same venue 18 months earlier, and on Friday night again at Richmond, he stole the show, winning the inaugural GRNSW Puppy Classic and $150,000 for his connections.

This time around he had grown substantially and had a name …. He’s A Pearl (the name makes it’s fairly simple to decipher who his mother his) and he scored a narrow victory in a thrilling finish to the Classic, coming from well back early, hitting the lead in the home straight, being headed, then coming again and finally staving off the finishes of Tank Keeping and Winsome Josie in 29.67s.

He’s A Pearl was one of four pups from the first litter of champion sprinter She’s A Pearl, winner of the Ladbrokes Golden Easter Egg and Ladbrokes Million Dollar Chase back in 2022, offered at the 2024 GRNSW Puppy Auction. 

Three of the four - by the late champion sire Fernando Bale - made the Puppy Classic Final, a series exclusive to greyhounds who went through the Auction. Fearless Bandit finished fourth while She’s Fearless was seventh.

He's A Pearl went for $52,000 at the Auction, was bought back, raised and now trained by Andy and Jodie Lord, who bred the pups from their superstar bitch.

“It’s been 18 months of hard work,” Andy said after the victory. “I never get nervous for races, but I’ve got to admit it, I was pretty nervous about this one. 

“You put so much into them. Jodie (his wife) and Hayley (Gilbert his daughter) and myself and Ray (Dixon) and the other two young boys who have worked for us, we work hard and we work seven days, but especially Jodie and Hayley, they deserve this more than me. 

“They have worked so hard to get these dogs where they are. They educated them, they brought them up as pups, and it's probably a bit nerve-wracking for them more than me.

“Obviously these type of races you want to win, but it's the build up to the race. It's that 18 months leading up to it, you don't even know if they're going to be any good, then you break them in and then once they start running a bit of time, that’s when you start dreaming. 

“Look a few people whinged that they were buy backs (at the Auction), but I don't believe there's such thing as a buy back.

“We paid a lot of money to buy these pups back because we wanted to be in the series, and I think people have that option and that's a good option to have, and it's paid off.”

Since making his debut at Goulburn in July when fifth to kennelmate Magic Bandit, He’s A Pearl has improved his record to 14 starts for six wins and two placings and now more than $170,000 in prizemoney.

He has also clocked 29.57s at Wentworth Park, faster than any of his littermates.

She’s A Pearl has since had another two litters, producing seven pups to One Time Only which are now 15 months old, and a litter of 10 pups to champion sprinter Explicit which turn seven months old on Sunday.

“We're looking forward to the next ones, and the next ones,” said Andy.