In 2018 Victorian trainer Anthony Azzopardi transferred NSW-owned Mystic Riot to Llandilo mentors Peter and Jodie Lagogiane with the Million Dollar Chase the greyhound's goal - and she vindicated the move by winning the inaugural running of the world's richest race.
Who could forget Peter dancing down the Wentworth Park straight after Mystic Riot flashed across the finish line?
Now Lagogiane is aiming for a repeat of that scene by tackling Friday night's Richmond heats of the 2020 TAB Million Dollar Chase with Sanctify, who is unbeaten in two starts over the Londonderry 535m journey.
Sanctify led throughout in Friday's $40,000 to the winner Richmond Riches final for owner-breeders Sonia and Peter Davis, stopping the clock at a sizzling 30.41 in his 17 lengths winning romp.
"The dog is obviously partial to the Richmond track so while there was some consideration to wait for the MDC Preludes at Wenty on October 3 I am convinced Friday night's heats of this regional qualifying series are the way to go,'' Lagogiane said.
No matter what happens, 2020 has been one heck of a roller-coaster ride for the Davises, who had to evacuate 43 greyhounds from their Pheasants Nest property at the start of the year.
"When the Balmoral bushfire erupted in January it got to within 800 metres of our property so we had to move all our dogs to the Appin and Bulli greyhound tracks,'' Peter Davis said.
"It was terribly stressful because we were forced to be away from our property for four days looking after the dogs, all the while not knowing if we would still have a home when we returned.
"Luckily for us a southerly wind blew the fire away from where we are at Pheasants Nest and our property came through unscathed.
"Sanctify has now had 14 starts for five wins and six placings while his litter brother Sceptre, who is trained by Amanda Ginn and was runner-up to Gone By Noon in a Richmond Riches heat, is also very talented.
"Sanctify has always been a fast dog and when he was unraced he clocked a blistering 19.67 in a performance trial over 350m at Goulburn.
"But then he tore ligaments in a hock so his career was put on hold.
"Sanctify won at Shepparton and The Meadows for Anthony Azzopardi but was transferred to Peter Lagogiane for the Richmond Riches and Million Dollar Chase due to concerns about how COVID-19 would impact on greyhounds being trained outside NSW.
"Sanctify and Sceptre are sons of our brood bitch Sawadee, who is a daughter of Rob Hill's fantastic producer Hidden Assets.
"Not only is Hidden Assets the grand-dam of these dogs of ours, but through her daughter Jingjing she is the grandmother of Mark Gatt's top class dogs Tennessee Tiger and Shanjo Prince.
''Another of her offspring, Sherbini, won 11 of 31 races and the puppies from her first litter will hit the track soon, with one in particular already earmarked as a potential super star.''
