Betting analyst MATT McCANN offers advice on successfully navigating Puntersland

WHILE on a recent family holiday in Bali, I took a break from pool-side parental duties, to venture along the local strip to a neat little bar that was showing game three of the State of Origin series.

With around an hour to kill until kick-off, I was happy just to sip on a cold beer and flick through the latest edition of ‘Chase’ newspaper.

Seated next to me was a lovely old couple who introduced themselves as Nola and Ray.

Ray seemed particularly interested in my reading material and I soon realised that I was chatting to a fellow dog punter.

He fondly recalled his favourite chasers from yesteryear, yet he was equally impressed with the current crop; Wow She’s Fast’ had clearly won a place in his heart.

We continued to discuss a range of greyhound topics over a few beers, and even when Nola grew impatient and ordered their dinners, Ray was oblivious and lauded recent winners.

He talked about growing up in South Australia and how his uncle used to take him to the dog track at Gawler. He soon became hooked on the sport.  

As the TV screen above the bar showed the NSW side about to take the field, we tackled the big question of THE fastest greyhound ever seen.

My vote went to Worth Doing and I was sure Ray would pick Adelaide Cup hero Brett Lee, but he shook his head firmly before boldly declaring that an Indonesian greyhound called ‘BS Bail’ had them both covered.

I was dumbfounded, especially since my first impressions of the general dog population of Bali were unfavourable.

Most were irregular in shape, and none seemed particularly active.

Yet Ray was adamant.

A frequent visitor to Indonesia, both for business and holidays, Ray said he first caught a glimpse of ‘BS Bail’ scorching across the flat, brown sugar sands of Seminyak around 1985.

He waited to see who collected the dog, but nobody came.

He then asked around the beach stalls and markets, but the response was always the same.

‘BS Bail’ was a free spirit. As wild as the ocean winds.

Apparently, the BS stood for ‘Black Sand’ as he only appeared on beaches with this similar feature, while the ‘Bail’ suffix was added by Aussie ex-pats; a variation that honoured the dominant Australian breeding line back home while also paying homage to Bali, with typo forgiven.

Sightings of the elusive red brindle bullet continued.

Just a few months later, local villagers told Ray of a crimson canine that had blazed across Canggu Beach at first light only to disappear in a flash beyond the break.

This prompted claims that ‘BS Bail’ was equally adept in the sea as he was on land and explained his incredible fitness and sustained speed.   

In fact, a rumour soon circulated about a local fisherman who had mistakenly hooked into BS Bail’s tailbone as the dog cruised by the coast of Denpasar.

So swiftly did the poor man’s canoe cut through the waves, that he was later accused by other members of his clan of purchasing a motorboat without the approval of the elders.

Again, in late 1988, a ceremonial gathering on Kusamba Beach was left shell shocked by the fabled hound who hurtled past painted turtles at lightning speed.

Now these accounts all sounded like pure fantasy, but Ray was unshakable in his belief:

“Only ‘BS Bail’ could muster such intense pace that coarse sand would crystallise,” he said.