JACK BRABHAM is regarded as Australia’s most famous Formula One racing car driver with his record at international level still the best by an Aussie.
Brabham was the first of the Aussie speed demons to hit the headlines on the world stage, so with that in mind, prominent Victorian owner Geoff Slattery named one of his promising pups in the racing car driver’s honour.
At Tattersall’s Park in Hobart last Thursday night Brabham, a pup by Collision from Mary Virginia, delivered the goods at his sixth race start, much to the delight of his owner.
Like his namesake, Brabham was slow out of the blocks when he first hit the racetrack but the dog too is a quick learner and has progressed nicely since his first start at the end of January in which he finished near last.
He went into Thursday night’s race on the back of consecutive placings in Hobart but showed enough in this events to suggest a win was not far away.
Brabham stopped the clock at 26.44 over the 461-metre trip with splits of 5.23 and 11.33.
While those times are not mind blowing, it shows the dog is improving with racing.
Slattery, who is the director and founder of the Slattery Media Group in Melbourne, has enjoyed a lot of success in Tasmania since he has been sending his dogs to Stringer.
“I was very happy with this run by Brabham because he has been very green’, he’s been wondering what’s been going on but when he found the bunny it was all over on the first corner,” Slattery said.
“I couldn’t be happier about this dog’s progress but let’s face it he is in the smar6test hands in Tassie in Mick Stringer.”
“Mick leaves no stone unturned to get the best out of any greyhound that I have sent to him – he is an absolute freak.”
“Probably in all my experience he is one of the hardest workers in any pursuit that I have com across,” he said.
Stringer has been one of Tasmania’s best greyhound trainers for over two decades and one of his greatest assets is his ability to understand a greyhound’s idiosyncrasies and his capability to work around those traits in an endeavour to get the best out of dog on the racetrack.
“I think Mick works from dawn till midnight on a daily basis so it’s just fantastic to work with someone who has that work ethic and who cares so much for his stock,” he said
Slattery has sent over a dozen pups and experienced race dogs to Stringer and all have produced the desired results.
Au Revoir and Back Page Lead are probably the best performed of the dogs we’ve sent to Mick.
Au Revoir won five of his 11 starts while in Stringer’s care before being dispatched to NSW where he won at WentworthPark and Bulli before being sent to Western Australia where she has been racing consistently on all tracks.
Back Page Lead did very well with Mick in Tassie and she is now racing out of the Steve White kennel at Nowra in NSW.
Back Page Lead has progressed to be one of the nation’s best stayers racing against the cream including Miata and Tasmanian bitch Bell Haven.
“Having Back Page Lead contest Group One staying races in Sydney and Melbourne is a great thrill and she is probably doing what she is now courtesy of the grounding she had while with Mick.”
“Mick also is very generous and understanding about where the dogs sit in the lexicon of the sport – state by state.”
“I work with Robbie Britton in Melbourne and send suitable dogs to Mick and when they’ve done their job he sends them back to us.”
“Mick also has a close working relationship with Steve (White) so when he feels they have reached their mark in Tassie he’ll find a place for them back on the mainland,” he said.
Slattery said Brabham is one of six pups from the litter and all broke in well but Brabham was not the pick of the litter.
The pick of the litter was named Fangio, after the great Argentine Formula 1 driver and five-times world champion Juan Manuel Fangio.
“Fangio has won four including one at The Meadows so he is progressing well and the only one of the litter yet to race is Neurologist and he is with Mick,” he said.