THE owner-breeder partnership of Karlene Cuthbertson and Sally-Ann Wilson has been a major force in Tasmania for many years so it came as no surprise they took out the leading owner title for 2012.
Cuthbertson and Wilson had 78 winners for the year with New recruit the best-performed of the winners they bred and raced.
Cuthbertson rated it a good year and said she was thrilled with the award.
“When you have owned 78 winners for the season you have obviously had a good year but as we all know a lot goes into getting that many winners,” Cuthbertson said.
“Being a breeder and a rearer it is a double thrill for me,” she said.
Cuthbertson was not prepared to declare which of her runner’s was the best but she admitted New Recruit stood out.
“New Recruit was pretty much the star of the show because he won 15 races and he was out most prolific winner but Captain Cosmic won 10 and he too showed great promise.”
“I also was rapt with some of the efforts of a few of the bitches that we bred,” she said.
Cuthbertson and Wilson have been involved in greyhounds for almost a decade but it has only been in the past three years that they have started to dominate as owner-breeders.
It was by chance that Cuthbertson became involved in greyhounds.
“When our son Adam left home and went to University in 2004 Steven (husband) and I decided we had better find something to keep us occupied.”
“Sally-Ann (Wilson) and I were business partners in a supermarket at Lillydale and Stuart Genge (greyhound trainer) was one of the reps who called on the business so needless to say the conversation often turned to greyhounds.”
“One thing led to another and next thing we bought two greyhounds that were advertised in a greyhound magazine.”
“The two we bought were Miss Bardy and Castle Lad.”
“Miss Bardy ended up being a brilliant broodbitch and her litter sister Miss Spicy won an Australian Cup,” she said.
“Miss Bardy has produced New Recruit, Cracker Boy that was second in a Launceston Cup and Icy Popsicle that was a speed machine that broke the short course (298) record in Launceston.”
Cuthbertson says the breeding enterprise continues to grow and while the workload that accompanies such growth also intensifies, she is still enjoying the ride.
“I am really deep into the breeding side of things and I am about to put probably one of the best dogs we owned and raced, Thirteen Black, over Icy Popsicle so it will be interesting to see what we get from that mating,” she said.