Old Spice sets Maitland alight with sensational track record run
OLD Spice stunned racegoers at Maitland on Thursday when he broke the existing 450m track record at Maitland with a sensational all-the-way display off box one.
Trained by Terry Priest, the son of Lochinvar Marlow and Takeover Teddy began brilliantly off the inside, sprinting away from his opposition to score by seven and a half lengths in a flying 24.68 – lowering the previous 24.76 standard set by Group 1 National Derby winner Magic Spring.
Priest was left speechless after the run, praising his greyhound for the stunning effort.
“It's surreal to sit back and think he is the fastest greyhound to have ever run over the 450 metres at Maitland,” Priest told Australian Racing Greyhound.
“He finished second in the Shootout at the Cessnock Gymkhana on Sunday and he ran very quick time over the 457m, it was a good hit out for him and it was something different which probably did him the world of good.
“He has been a very good dog for us, he made the final of the Group 1 Brisbane Cup last year, so he deserved to have something like this next to his name.”
A winner of 11 of his 41 starts, Old Spice is owned by Priest's mother Denise and is made even more special to the family as he is named in memory of Priest's father, Terry Snr.
“The dog is very special to us, we would love him even if he never won a race, but for him to do this was just unbelievable.
“It was a dream come true to break the track record on my home track, especially with this dog, and it was an amazing feeling to be walking back and have everyone at the track cheering and clapping for him.”
Priest said he will now be looking at further feature races for Old Spice, which turns four in November, before the possibility of using him to serve a few bitches.
“He is three and a half years old but he is only lightly raced and he is going as well as ever.
“I will have a look at the calendar down in Melbourne to see what is on for him, we might head down to Sandown next week if he pulls up ok, with the Winter Cup also a potential target for him at Albion Park in a couple of months.”
Watch Old Spice (1) break the Maitland 450m track record.