Generously parting with $12,000 to save six of a friend's puppies suffering from the dreaded parvo virus led to country supermarket manager Len Haaring training the youngsters to win 88 races, with more in store.
Haaring, now grocery manager of Woolworth's at MUDGEE, was a close friend of the late Bob Milne, who succumbed to a heart attack two years ago.
"Bob had 21 greyhounds on his property and when 15 died of parvo he was desperate to save the six remaining puppies he had from a litter by El Grand Senor from his bitch Kayla Enlim,'' Haaring recalled.
"The veterinary cost to save them was $2000 per puppy so I offered to pay for their treatment and quarantine them on my property at Cooks Gap, 30km north of MUDGEE.
"Tragically Bob died six months later and the litter has been prolific, with Most Arrogant winning 23 races, Isabel Enlim winning 20, Pure Arrogance winning 17 races, and Kayla's Tiger and Lenny Enlim winning 15 and 11 respectively.
"Bob Milne's son Darryl owns Isabel Enlim, Kayla's Tiger and Lenny Enlim while Stunning Lass, the sixth sibling, broke a wrist as a puppy and won only two races.
"But four months ago she whelped a litter to Shakey Jakey.''
"Most Arrogant has the most early speed, Isabel Enlim and Kayla's Tiger are the best 520 metre greyhounds while Pure Arrogance is the class dog of the litter but has had a few problems.''
Len Haaring was unlucky not to race Most Awesome, who, when trained by Max Burdekin, dead-heated for first with Blackjack Tom in the 2003 group one Australian Cup.
"One of the first greyhounds I had was Most Welcome, and from her first litter to Head Honcho she produced a very fast dog I trained named Mr Arrogance,'' Haaring said.
"For her second mating Most Welcome went to Awesome Assassin and under a deal I did with a friend he received a pup from the litter.
"The pup he selected turned out to be Most Awesome, but the irony of it is that he soon sold him to Warren Laws, who owned the dog when he dead-heated in the Australian Cup."
Len Haaring, 57, became interested in greyhounds through his brother John, a Sydney trainer who quit the sport 10 years ago.
"I was an enthusiastic punter and form analyst on the dogs and 16 years ago bought Speedy Willow and gave him to John to train,'' Haaring said.
"He had early pace but won only one race for us but by then I was hooked and bought Chosen Ghost from my brother to launch my own training career.
"I had no idea what I was doing and was treating Chosen Ghost as a short courser when he was really a 520 metre dog but he won nine races, among them my first at Wentworth Park.
"At the time my family had a supermarket at Mount Pleasant where our customers included Paul Ambrosoli, Rapid Journey's owner-trainer Jane Carruthers, and former leading Sydney trainer Don McMillan.
"I remember Jane buying lots of bananas to provide potassium for her greyhounds."
In 2002 Haaring bought 25 acres at Cooks Gap, intending to breed and train dogs while taking a part-time position filling the shelves at night at Woolworth's Supermarket in nearby MUDGEE.
"Two months later I was made night fill manager and I'm still there now as full-time grocery manager," he said.
"My favourite tracks are Dubbo and Maitland but that is because the good litter I am training now race particularly well on those courses.
"I knew nothing when I began training and while my brother John helped me along the most important thing I learned was that one should never make the same mistake twice.
"If you ensure you don't do that, you can only go forward.''
