How Good Is This Soccer 'Player'?

By Jeff Collerson
Most greyhounds are conditioned for their races with hit-outs on trial tracks but How Good, who won Saturday night's opening event at Wentworth Park, got fit by "playing soccer" with his owner-trainer Rodney O'Brien.

How Good, who had been a fast finishing second over 400m at Bulli at his first run from a short break on June 29, came from third on the back straight to win Saturday's 520m fifth grade in 30.28.

After the race O'Brien, who bred How Good from his former smart sprinter Rubelly Magic, said: "I've lived on a house block at Blacktown for over 40 years and it is has become difficult to exercise my greyhounds in the local streets.

"I give How Good a solid walk early each morning but there are too many dogs running loose on the streets in the afternoon, so I keep him in trim by kicking a soccer ball around the back yard with him.

"How Good loves playing with the ball which isn't really surprising because after all, he is a dog isn't he.

"His dam Rubelly Magic won 26 races for me and her two litters to Fabregas and My Bro Fabio have been 100 per cent winners.

"Because she was only a little thing, 24kg, I mated her with big dogs to put some size into the pups and she is due to be mated again, this time with Dyna Double One.

"After How Good finished second over 520m at Bathurst on May 24 I discovered he had a hole in the top of his back muscle so I had to bring him back nice and steady with a 400m at Bulli a bit over a month later.''


Fastest time of the night was the 29.73 posted by the Ray Magri-trained Zipping Conway, who went into his Wentworth Park debut on Saturday with four wins from four starts at Bulli.

Zipping Conway led throughout and won by seven lengths but after the race Magri conceded he was surprised at the fast time.

"Going by what he has been trialling at Wentworth Park I didn't think he would go that quick, but it's good because it shows he is a real race dog,'' Magri said.

"And it was raining during Zipping Conway's race so the run was super.''

Zipping Conway's time was .04sec faster than the figures registered by the Tracey Hurst-trained Good Odds Cash, who made a one act affair of a 520m fifth grade, leading throughout by eight lengths.

Jackpot Josie enhanced her reputation as a "box eight bandit'' with a dazzling all-the-way win in a 520m fifth grade on Saturday night.

Her all-the-way romp took her tally while wearing the pink rug to six wins from seven starts and remarkably she posted her personal best WP time of 29.91, despite competing on a rain-affected surface.

Before the race trainer George Borg said: "Jackpot Josie only has to get on her bike early to be hard to beat.''

Jackpot Josie, named after Borg's late sister Josie, who was an enthusiastic poker machine player, certainly did that, and on Saturday the "bike" was akin to a MotoGP machine.

Highly Effective, who clocked a slick 29.93 winning at Wentworth Park last week, backed up with another smart performance on Saturday night, scoring by six lengths on a slower track in 30.01.

Highly Effective is trained by Darren Sultana for breeder Darrin Croser, who explained: "This dog's mother Kalalycia had only two starts, winning first up at Canberra but then breaking a wrist at her next start there.

"My wife Jo-Ann I bred this first litter after mating her to Silent Effective, and Kalylycia, now six years old, will now be mated with American stud dog Superior Panama.''