Caption: Fantastic Raven on the fly. (Photo: KURT DONSBERG)

By DAVID JOLLEY

I ALWAYS had a passion for racing, from listening to the dogs in my bedroom in my early days to spending too much time in the local TABs with my mates.

I was a regular at Olympic Park dogs as a late teenager, studying the Gold Guide form guide. I had a photographic memory. 

I could tell if dogs were a railer or wide runner, run homes, and colour of almost every dog in Victoria.

I purchased my first dog at age 15 with a few cricket mates. He wasn’t much good.  Five of us put $100 in each. I used to go around to my friend’s mum’s place after school to walk the dog each night.

It wasn’t long after I got my first job I ended up with a share in racehorse, one became two and before I knew I had a quite a few. 

I had moderate success but never was able to make a profit from any of them. 

I was told all the positive reports and your horse is in ‘good order’, should run a great race, all the things owners are begging to hear and we eat it up. 

I even purchased a share in a horse that won a Group 1.

But as it turns out the syndicate company was a scam and he sold and invoiced me for the horse, but I was never an owner at all. 

The horse won $2,377,900 including the Stradbroke Handicap. 

I also had a share in a horse that ran in the Victorian Derby but it broke down soon after. 

I was starting to get annoyed with the stories and the monthly bills and small returns, but the last straw was when a leading trainer told me and I quote: “I have no interest in the returns to the owners, only positive publicity for his stable”.

This was after I asked him why he would put on his website that he had spring aspirations for my horse, yet he didn’t convey that opinion to me.

I had to exit this situation, but I found that hard as it’s not easy to get out of horses that you own 5 per cent shares in.

At this stage I already had ownership in a few dogs and a very successful one called Alpha Aion. It was only a 10 per cent share. I was a silent partner, but he won $93,967. 

I also ended up with a shares in other dogs and I soon realised that the better the dog the more opinions within the syndicate. 

I had a nice dog but did not enjoy the experience.

At this stage I wasn’t very successful with my ownership in horses or greyhounds except for Alpha Aion. 

I then decided to try to buy a dog with only one other friend or on my own.

A good friend, Gavin Crook, was teaching me what he did on a day-to-day level. I loved listening and learning about greyhounds from him. 

I couldn’t get enough information about the dogs, just wanting to learn all that I could.

We bred a litter together and I just fell in love with the cute puppies.

These My Redeemer-Phosphenes are just starting to race in Perth with the first dog Barbeque Man showing great promise winning a trial by 22 lengths in 30.07 at Cannington.

Gavin and Nat Crook were trainers in Perth and when they had to go back to England to help their family.

I had the opportunity to buy Fantastic Raven and a few pups as well as a few broodbitches.

So now I was breeding litters myself with Gav’s broody bitches.

The first litter was Barcia Bale-Undercover Boss (Aeroplane Eric’s sister). These are now 16 months old and I cannot wait to see them start to race. 

One of them is the best-looking greyhound I have ever seen.

I now have mated Undercover Boss with Aussie Infrared and pups are due to be born at the start of December.

I started buying well-bred race bitches that I saw as potential broodbitches later on – Fantastic Raven, West Song, Quinnish, Recklessness, Lala Hibiscus, Lala Juniper, Mary Mary, Federal Elle, Zipping Tania and quite a few more. 

I wanted a bitch that was a sister to a Group performer, race her so she could hopefully pay for herself, then breed on. For the main part I have done this.

Classified Racing was set up to race and breed.

The breeding program has taken a long time but this time of year things seem to all happen at once with six girls all coming on season over the last few months. 

Currently there are Feral Franky-Back To Boss, Aussie Infrared-Exciting, Fernando Bale-Mercedes Dior, Feral Franky-Just Wins Boss and Aussie Infrared-Undercover Boss litters.

But the one I am most excited about Aussie Infrared-West Song which recreates the Lala Kiwi mating.

I am always happy when I get the phone call saying “she is on season”, but right at the moment I would be pleased if I could space them out a little.

Most of the pups will be for sale so I can sustain my breeding program.

Classified Racing has several dogs racing, the best being Fantastic Raven. 

Raven has provided me with an amazing ride and Jason Mackay has done a fantastic job with her. I value my friendship with Jason and enjoy our chats on the phone.

I hope we can win a final of a Group race as she has been placed in several Group races but hasn’t won one yet.

Running third in the Golden Easter Egg was an amazing thrill.

I received a package that included items from the Golden Easter Egg – a small golden egg with the number three underneath, the box draw, the rug she wore, the rug she won for finishing third and the collar and lead from the night. 

I have purchased a Barcia Bale straw for Raven, so I look forward to the Barcia Bale-Fantastic Raven puppies. Hoping she can become my foundation bitch. 

Her litter is amazing with prizemoney $755,065 with five different dogs winning over $100,000 in prizemoney.

This line just keeps throwing nice dogs, so I no reason Fantastic Raven will not continue this. 

I get calls already from people asking if they can buy her pups.

West Song is a three-quarter sister to Shima Shine and when mated to Aussie Infrared recreates the mating on Australian Cup winner Lala Kiwi. 

Classified Racing raced her with Clifford and Pat Smith, my close friends. 

Wendy, AKA West Song, is a favourite of Cliff’s and he always tells me she will make a great broody.

She is a big girl at 30kg, very powerfully built and has amazing early speed.

One of my highlights was when Cliff trained a treble at Horsham for me. Three winners on one day was amazing.

Zipping Tania, Rockstar Austin and West Song all won. I contacted the club and arranged a photo of all three winners for Cliff and Pat to say thank you.

Classified Racing races in most states.

We have a great training network with our trainers around Australia Including New South Wales (Jason Mackay), Victoria (Patricia and Clifford Smith, Carl Haas), Queensland (Corey Mutton) and Western Australia (Andrew Maclaren).

I enjoy the thrill of racing and I have runners every few days. It can feel weird to me if I don’t have a runner for the week which occasionally happens. 

I am so happy with my decision to change my racing interests from the thoroughbreds to the greyhounds.

I feel I am in control of things myself and I have built great relationships now and feel like I have done a lot of the hard work and look forward to what the future will bring with all the puppies to come. 

To be honest I think there will be more and more people like me that will swap over.

Who likes that $5000 per month training fee from the horse trainer along with the positive stories designed to just string you along. 

No monthly bill with the greyhounds.