Kid Candle, winner of last year's Woy Woy Poultry Gosford Cup, along with prolific long-distance group race finalist Blazing Cartier, have been retired.
Kid Candle is headed for a life of luxury after being adopted by one of his four part-owners who comprised the Highway To Hell Syndicate.
Blazing Cartier is off to the breeding barn, with owner-trainer Tom Rees looking forward to having her served by Barcia Bale in the spring.
Geoff and Leanne Grimwood, who trained Kid Candle, have had a tough two months.
Their crack sprinter Aston Zodiac passed away last month while Kid Candle has succumbed to an on-going hock problem.
Kid Candle registered 11 wins and a dozen placings for $89,000, while Aston Zodiac earned $95,440 after scoring 23 wins and 19 placings from 56 races.
"We are especially pleased that one of Kid Candle's owners has agreed to give him a home for life because that will allow Leanne and I to keep in contact with the dog,'' Geoff Grimwood said.
"Aston Zodiac's demise was tragic because she raced as recently as June 30 and she went to bed one night as good as gold, yet we found her dead in her kennel the next day.
"We trained her for Ray Borda and he was absolutely shattered to hear of her passing.
"Aston Zodiac made several big finals but never had any luck in the box draws in those crucial races.
"I rate her wins in The MACCA at LADBROKES GARDENS and in that track's Million Dollar Chase qualifying final as her best performances.
"We are now concentrating on launching the careers of some 19 month old puppies which are by Aston Dee Bee from Aston Ginger, a handy bitch we trained for Ray Borda and who won 10 races and filled 19 placings.''
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Blazing Carter retires boasting a record of 19 wins and 31 placings from 87 outings, amassing $175,000 in prizemoney.
Tom Rees, who bought her as a 12 week old puppy, said: "I rate her best efforts as when she won the Bendigo Stayers Cup over 660m last June, her third placing in the group 1 Zoom Top final at The Meadows four months earlier and her win in a heat of the Sandown Cup on May 21 last year.
"When she was being trained in Victoria by Robert Britton, Blazing Cartier loved the Sandown track and when she won that heat of the group 1 Cup she beat an outstanding lineup.''
Blazing Cartier's vanquished rivals that night included Just Terms, the top NSW stayer of that period, and favourite for the race, Mister Harlewood, who had been sent out a $1.40 hotpot after stringing together five straight wins at Sandown and The Meadows.
Blazing Cartier or "Reggie'' as she is known by Tom Rees, has the pedigree to become a successful brood bitch as her dam Esparza has been an outstanding producer, with three of her offspring, Super Estrella, Prim And Proper and Look Fancy Nancy, being top notch racers for Sydney trainer David Smith.
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TODD Kamm, the Brisbane-based brother of Good Juan's Victorian owner Bronte Kamm, has a hot prospect in the HarrySarkis-trained Impress Scarlett, who won at LADBROKES GARDENS on Friday in a nippy 29.58.
Only greyhound to go faster at the meeting was Mark Davidson's flying machine Mickey Doo, who won in 29.33.
Impress Scarlett had won over 400m at Maitland at his previous start in a slick 22.39 and HarrySarkis believes he can go through the grades.
"I bought him for TODD from Chrystal Hensing, who had won a race with the dog and handed him to me in absolutely superb condition,'' Sarkis said.
