Michael Clayton has declared Are Jai Que the best greyhound he has trained in his 30 years in the sport as he prepares that wonderful greyhound for Saturday night’s Golden Easter Egg heats at Wentworth Park.
Are Jai Que tasTed defeat for the first time in five Wentworth Park outings when an unlucky third on Saturday night but who could argue with her record of 23 starts for 16 wins, four seconds and two thirds.
“I’ve had some quick greyhounds but Are Jai Que is obviously the best,’’ Clayton said.
“A dog called Lost Point probably had as much natural ability but he would not always produce his real talent in races.
“As an unraced maiden Lost Point trialled before the first race at Moss Vale and clocked 29.05, unheard of time at that track.
“He did that after splitting a hip support but while he went on to win 15 races and gave me my first city winner when he scored the first of two Wentworth Park successes, he was an unreliable chaser.’’
Clayton’s involvement in greyhound racing began when he finished high school and his family moved from Bowral to Cootamundra.
“My uncles, Ted and Les Winter, trained dogs at Cootamundra and at 17 I was training my first greyhound, which, because I was a year too young to hold a licence, was in the name of Betty Mitchell, my auntie.
“Not long after I received a giveaway from Victoria named Bellette Rose, and she won a race for me over 518m on the old Cootamundra track.
“I worked with my uncles for two years in the abattoirs at Cootamundra and also ran a grocery delivery business.
“Later I was proprietor of a successful trolley collection company and at one stages had over 20 Coles Supermarkets on my books.
“But there was so much under-cutting price-wise that business became not viable so I went into greyhounds on a full-time basis."
The 47-year-old, who is based at Sutton Forest in the NSW Southern Highlands, soon starTed enjoying notable success.
“I owned a good bitch called Eagle Willow and when she retired I maTed her with Antiquity," Clayton said.
“She was the first bitch maTed to that dog, who had been trained by Ray Minty, who won the National Derby in 1990 with Master Hilo.
“Antiquity was not a boom sire but had been a freak galloper considering the adversity under which he raced.
“I saw him win at Temora and he broke records and won races everywhere despite having had broken toes and two dropped back muscles.
“I arranged with my mate at Cootamundra, Jackie Roy, to whelp and rear Eagle Willow’s pups in return for us dividing the litter.
"Jack got the best of them, including Red Pumps and Lucky Ferrari, who won 28 races, including 14 at Wentworth Park, and who broke the Dapto record.
“He later went to the UniTed States for stud purposes.’’
Ironically it was through Clayton connecting with Ray Minty via Antiquity that he became the trainer of Are Jai Que.
“I pre-trained her on my property and when she was ready to begin her career her owner Ashley Quirk contacTed Ray seeking a recommendation as a trainer," Clayton said.
“Ray asked him who had pre-trained Are Jai Que and when Ashley told him who it was Ray kindly advised him to leave her with me.’’
Clayton says his pet track is Richmond - “I seem to have a lot of luck there’’ - and while he agrees with most modern trainers that Brett Lee is the fastest he has seen, he plumps for his old favourite Antiquity as his favourite.
These days Clayton has 20 greyhounds in training, while he rears pups and does a limiTed amount of pre-training greyhounds.
“Apart from Are Jai, the best prospect I have is Cosmic Skittle, who has won three from four starts at Goulburn,’’ he said.
“And I have hopes for a new addition to the kennels, She’s Ayce, who has won five races and has clocked 29.69 at The Gardens.’’
