Long Shot, so named because his chances of ever stepping onto a racetrack once seemed bleak, was part of trainer Penny Hutchinson's first winning double at Nowra last Monday.
A superbly bred son of Aston Rupee and former champion stayer Super Estrella, who set the Wentworth Park 720m record of 41.21 in September, 2022, Long Shot took his tally to three wins and a close second from four starts with a fast 20.52 win over 365m.
Long Shot's success came in a fifth grade heat and he will now line up for the $2500 to the winner final next Monday night.
Hutchinson's other winner last Monday was Yeah That's Him, a son of Fernando Bale and On The Rocks, the first greyhound she owned.
Yeah That's Him was making his debut when he won a 365m maiden in 20.87 and Hutchinson said: "He is from On The Rocks' first litter whelped in January, 2024, and she has since had a second litter to Hooked On Scotch,'' Hutchinson said.
"The late Terry Clyburn and I bought On The Rocks as a puppy and when trained for us by Donna Campbell she won 26 of 57 races.
"Donna Campbell has always been my advisor on looking after and training greyhounds, because until we purchased On The Rocks as a puppy, my interest had been in horses."
"My daughters and I used to participate in horse eventing but when the girls grew up and left home I found myself looking for another hobby and happily got into greyhounds."
"I bought Long Shot as a 15 weeks old puppy and reared him on the four hectare property at North Nowra, owned by myself and my husband David, a retired Navy man.
"While growing up Long Shot partially ruptured two knee-caps and the veterinary advice was that if they ruptured completely I would have be content with having him only as a pet.
"I was able to exercise him regularly but because I couldn't risk the puppy tearing around a paddock and doing further damage to his legs, he spent eight months locked up in a small pen so he could not exert himself.
"Thankfully he recovered completely and when it came to naming him I chose Long Shot because the veterinary advice was those were his chances of being a winner on the track.''
Hutchinson trained her first winner, Porch Pirate, at Nowra in May, 2022, and on the same card owned two other winners, Pistols At Dawn and Next Of Kin, who were trained for her by Phil Goodsell.
Highlight of Hutchinson's career as a trainer was winning a heat of the Group Two 2023 Maitland Gold Cup with War Hawk, who finished third in the final behind Nangar Jim and Nad Al Sheba.
"I subsequently sold War Hawk to another Nowra trainer, Mark Suttle, and the dog has won his past three races in October and November for him at Nowra,'' Hutchinson said.
Long Shot's only defeat was in a 340m race at Bulli when he gave three lengths start at the half way mark and failed by a head to catch his litter sister, the David Smith-trained Little Bit Super.
"The 340m was a bit short for Long Shot and because he is bred to stay, I'm hoping he can get at least 400m and perhaps even get me back to Wentworth Park,'' Hutchinson said.
Hutchinson has fond memories of Wentworth Park as she won her first city race as a trainer there with War Hawk, in November, 2023.
