Have you heard the one about the Parish Priest, the local pub and a greyhound?
No there is no punchline, this is the story behind Ray and Sharron Webster’s dog Father Rick who will be one of the favourites to add another feature race to his resume in the Gosford Summer Six Hundred.
Father Rick was explosive winning his heat in the fastest time of the night on Tuesday, a slick 34.32s and in the process equalling the first sectional record of 8.78s.
On February 3 in the $25,000 final he will be looking to build on an incredible two months, and add to the Middle Distance Championship he won at Dapto in November, the Group 3 Sir John Dillion Memorial he won at Sandown in December, and his second placing in the $100,000 Golden Sands at Albion Park in January.
And all at the age of four.
“It's been a huge journey, and we couldn't be more proud of him,” said Sharron. “I mean, winning the Middle Distance Championship at Dapto and almost breaking the track record in his heat which was phenomenal, and then going down to Melbourne and winning down there and the run in Brisbane and coming second. It’s just fantastic, and now winning here, this is just fantastic.”
It is Sharron … but back to the priest and the pub.
“He was named after our local parish priest, Father Rick,” Sharron explained. “He's a big supporter of the dog. He approached Ray down at the pub one afternoon and asked if he had any pups coming through. Ray said yeah we have actually and he told Father Rick that if one of them breaks in well - he was in a litter of eight - Ray said the one that breaks in the best we will name after you, and so he was the one, and the rest is history.”
Whether he has some divine help or not, Father Rick the greyhound is flying at present and it would be a brave person to bet against him especially after he drew the two box in the final and now has the benefit of his first Gosford run under his belt.
Minnie Finn’s pair Zipping Caleb (5 lengths behind) and Zipping Ronaldo (6 ¾lengths back) filled the placings behind Father Rick and both qualified for the final.
Off The Richter was also an impressive heat winner at just his ninth race start and trainer Gary Stewart was quick to say he has a not for sale sign on him.
“We raced his mother Kermaro, my father and I, and then we decided that we're actually going to go to a different sire, but that was a bit difficult at the time, so we had a bit of cash stashed away so we thought bugger it, we'll go to Barcia Bale and went and outlaid the cash and it's been waiting a couple of years for this to sort of fall into place,” Gary said.
“The rest of the litter are all doing well. His sister’s already won a 600m and they’re just 21 months now, so it’s all pretty exciting. The whole family's involved with the dogs, my brother owns one, my nephew and his football mates, my sister and dad, and then I've got a couple. We have kept them all in house rather than selling them off and all the hard yards is paying off at the moment. It’s all pretty bloody exciting.
“We’ve already had plenty (of offers) and they’ll all been: “see ya later, they’re not for sale any of them.””
Off The Richter’s time was not far behind Father Rick, clocking 34.43s and winning comfortably by four lengths from a gallant Has Ability. The favourite, Fahey’s Magic who won that $100,000 Golden Sands at Albion Park on January 4, jumped well but was headed early and lost her spot before running home nicely to grab third 5 ½lengths from the winner.
The other heat was won with an all the way performance from the Geoff Curtale-trained Agent Spaghetti.
The former Victorian has now had seven starts for Curtale who has built him up nicely to the middle-distance events.
Agent Spaghetti clocked 34.69s and was able to comfortably hold off Nangar Lucy and Like Wildfire.
“(The time of) 34.69s, it's nice but you know some of these dogs here, let's face it, they can run much, much quicker than that,” Geoff’s brother Michael said. “So yeah, happy with the win and he can't do any more than what he did, he jumped in front, but looking for a dead-set inside box in the final.”
Unfortunately for the Curtales they came up with box four in the final.
The runner-up was the Dennis Barnes-trained Nangar Lucy who looked a real winning threat when she railed through to move into second up the back straight, but found the winner too strong, failing by ¾ length to pick up Agent Spaghetti.
The hearts of punters who took the short odds about track record holder Like Wildfire sank when the lids opened when he walked out of the boxes, essentially losing all hope of winning at that moment.
He was gallant and ran home strongly to grab third place, three lengths behind the winner and his time of 34.91s meant he missed the final and is first reserve.
