ANTHONY BULLOCK returned from a steward-enforced break in 2014 with a simple goal – to train as many winners as he could.
When the final tally was counted on New Year’s Eve he emerged with 166 winners for the season which was good enough to give him his fifth trainer’s title from the past six years.
The likeable larrikin prepared 52 individual winners at an average of one a week and while he started the year with limited numbers his kennel grew in size almost back the numbers he had prior to being disqualified.
Bullock said winning the 2014 trainer’s premiership probably means more to him than any other.
“I am really delighted to have won this premiership because you have to train a lot of winners to win it and that’s obviously what our kennel was able to do,” Bullock said.
“Numbers is my go. Ted Medhurst is more about quality in his kennel while I’m about quantity. It’s just the way it is,” he said.
Bullock has 70 greyhounds in work so dealing with that number requires plenty of assistance.
“You don’t get as many winners as I have without a lot of people pitching in to make it all happen,” Bullock said.
“I rely heavily on my partner Mary Walker and she spends most of her time working at the kennels while I do all the travelling.”
“I also have fantastic people at home and on race days I’ve also got a lot of people who help out and without them the business just wouldn’t function,” he said.
Bullock has a few star performers in his kennel last year and none better than Hellyeah Bolt that contributed 11 wins to the trainer’s total.
Hellyeah Bolt won heats of the Devonport Cup, Rising Stars series, Launceston Cup (and a semi-final) and a heat and final of the Reg & Eileen Ivory Memorial Classic at Devonport.
He also won the Mercury Silver Trophy and the Tasmanian Gold Cup final as well as a heat of the Group 1 Hobart Thousand.
Bullock has always had a big opinion of Mumford’s Son and he too excelled for the kennel notching 10 wins including two heats and the final of the Vets Medley Series in Hobart.
Hellyeah Missile won eight as did Gemstone Jack.
His biggest win was with former Queensland dog Are Ate that won the Group 3 Devonport Cup.
He had Hellyeah Bolt through to the Hobart Thousand final but he suffered an injury after his heat win that prevented him from contesting the final.