Greyhound racing is mourning the passing on Thursday morning of Ron Lambert, who was a successful trainer for more than 60 years.
Lambert, who was 80, died from complications resulting from a heart ailment.
Between 2017 and this year Lambert had success with greyhounds such as Dreaming Time, who won nine races and reached top grade at Wentworth Park, American Rose, a winner of six races, and the brilliant front-runner Promising, who has won nine races last year and in 2020.
GBOTA chairman Bryan Young, Lambert's close friend and neighbour at Kearsley, near CESSNOCK, took over the training of Promising when the veteran trainer fell ill earlier this year.
Like many trainers, Ron Lambert's first winner, Alan's Reject, who scored up the straight at WYONG in 1958, was a gift.
When I interviewed Ron Lambert several years ago, he explained that his uncle, Alan Bray, had given the greyhound to him and she won "first up'' netting her young trainer an $80 windfall.
"I was living in the Newcastle suburb of Waratah with my grandmother when my uncles, Tom and Alan Bray, had a few greyhounds,'' he said.
"When I nominated Alan's Reject for her maiden race at WYONG I was working as a printer and by the Time I put petrol in my old car and paid my fare into the track, I was left with $10 to bet on her.
"I gave the $10 to my uncle Tom to put on Alan's Reject but he got a big tip for another dog in the race so put $6 on that greyhound and only $4 on my greyhound.
"But because Alan's Reject was a $21 outsider I still had a nice win.''
Lambert was among the first Aussie trainers contracted to the Canidrome Racetrack in Macau, and from 1985 he was the leading trainer for six of seven years in the former Portuguese colony.
Lambert's rival trainers in Macau included Alan Britton, father of present day Victorian training wizards Robbie and Jeff Britton.
Ron Lambert always rated Combat, who won the Wauchope and Gunnedah Cups and the Maitland TAB Championship, as his best greyhound.
Combat was a Young Star Classic finalist at WP and won his maiden at PENRITH in 30.41 when the course record wasd 30.23 as well as scoring at Wenty in 30.23 at a Time when the record was 30.00.
GRNSW wishes to pass on its sincere condolences to the relatives and many friends of Ron Lambert, one of our sport's true stalwarts.
