Fancy buying a "dead ringer" to record-breaking, Group 1-winning superstar Gold Force?
Well, that's exactly what Glen McKinley will be offering at the Greyhound Racing NSW Puppy Auction later this month in potential sale topper, Lot 88.
The black dog, whelped in November last year, is a superbly bred son of champion sire Fernando Bale out of Silver Scissors, the dam of Gold Force.
McKinley says the blueblood is for sale – but he won't come cheap.
"The male pups in this litter sold for $20,000 at three months of age and this dog will be seven months old at the auction," said McKinley.
"Nathan Bendeich, who owns Silver Scissors, is a mate of mine and I've bought pups from her first two litters, to Aussie Infrared and Tommy Shelby."
Gold Force needs no introduction as one of the fastest greyhounds in Australia.
He's won 20 of his 32 starts, highlighted by victories in the G1 Ipswich Gold Cup and G2 Bulli Gold Cup and track records at Bulli, Maitland and his home track of Goulburn.
His mother Silver Scissors, a daughter of Barcia Bale and Scissor Queen, has a wonderful pedigree.
Her litter included Barcia Blue Boy, which won the G2 Bulli Gold Cup, like his nephew Gold Force, and Vicki's Queen, runner-up in the G2 Ladies Bracelet and a G1 Golden Easter Egg finalist.
Silver Scissors' dam, Scissor Queen, is a litter sister to Golden Easter Egg winner Don't Knocka Him, with the damline also featuring champion brood bitch Queen Size and her G1-winning progeny Size Can Matter and Made To Size.
As a result of assisting with the purchasing of the Fernando Bale straw for Silver Scissors' third mating, McKinley was given the pick of the resultant litter and says it was a very easy choice.
"This pup was an absolute standout," McKinley said.
"He's classy and has almost identical markings to Gold Force at the same age. He's a dead ringer!
"With the way Gold Force is going at the moment, you couldn't ask for a better pup to be in a sale. If he's not the top lot, he's definitely in the top five."
McKinley, a Group 1-winning thoroughbred trainer in New Zealand who's enjoyed multiple feature race greyhound racing successes since relocating to Australia, won't only be offering the Gold Force half-relation at the auction.
He also has four pups – lots 29, 118, 142 and 166 – by Lenson Bocko out of Bumpy Black.
Lenson Bocko won the 2019 Irish Derby
Bumpy Black, a daughter of Barcia Bale, was a G2 Gosford Cup finalist and her first litter, to Aussie Infrared, has won 76 races and $205,000 prizemoney, including She's A Bumpy (23 wins) and Bumpy Blue (13 wins).
"I have two dogs from Bumpy Black's second litter, to Feral Franky, that will start racing soon and they are top, top, city class dogs," McKinley said.
"I used to play baseball and I've bought the Ohtani prefix – Shohei Ohtani is the best baseballer in the world.
"These dogs will be called Homerun Ohtani and Ohtani Express.
"They went through the auction last year and broke in sensational at Dubbo. They'll be coming back to NSW for the Auction Classic race in November."
The GRNSW Puppy Auction will be held at Richmond Greyhound Racing Club on Sunday, June 28.
