Caption: The flying Mr America has gone to stud. (Photo: by Lachlan Naidu)
AFTER the 246-game NRL career that defined Terry Hill, State of Origin success, and International victories like the World Cup at Wembley in front of 98,000, you’d think all he would talk about today is footy.
Not so with Terry.
All he ever talks about is greyhounds … he loves them and everything about them.
“I remember the Sunday after a State of Origin win at Lang Park, all the boys flew home that day,” he said. “I went out to Kurwongbah to buy a sister to Kobble Creek from Michael Ivers.”
From the time Terry was 12, he was walking the streets with a greyhound on the lead for local trainers.
He bought his first when he was 18 and turned up at the front gate of legend trainer Jimmy Coleman “sitting on the car horn to get noticed”, hoping Jimmy would train it for him.
“He came out to the front gate and asked why I was sitting on the horn,” said Terry. “I said I had a dog in the car I wanted him to train. We went inside and had a cup of tea and discussed it.
“The dog never raced.
“The next one I bought had a stayers pedigree. Jimmy told me it would be a speedy squid. He was right, but at least it won a few races.”
Terry was hooked, Jimmy was his mate and greyhound racing became as important to Terry as anything in rugby league.
Along came superstars like Placard the Group 1 star who put Terry on the map.
He decided breeding was a part of the game he wanted to embrace.
“I’m not a golfer, I’m not a swimmer, I just enjoy the dogs,” he said.
Since Placard, Terry, and his great mate George Kairouz, have never been without a classy galloper.
Terry knows everyone in the industry, talks to most of them.
“Back in 2019 I was talking to Geoff Collins in Victoria and he told me he has semen for a US dog called SE Tali Sundance,” said Terry.
“Geoff had been in the US and saw the dog go. And couldn’t he go.
“Geoff says he clocked him himself. He had semen, only a handful of vials, in Australia.”
Terry just happened to have The Meadows winner Motel Girl, a Where’s Pedro-Unfinished litter sister to Group stars Thirty Talks and Split Image.
He put Motel Girl to SE Tali Sundance and got a superstar.
Named Mr America, Terry gave him to Jason Thompson.
“He broke in a superstar and he went on with it,” said Terry. “Jason trialled him at Warragul and he went 22.20 as a baby. The record today is 22.00.”
Injury finally forced Mr America to stud recently to Sires On Ice at a fee of $1210.
He had 45 starts for 27 wins, seven seconds and one third for stakes of exactly $100,000.
“We have to give this dog his chance at stud,” said Terry.
“He’s a grandson of KC And All and we know just what a success he’s been in this country.
“But, with so much Barcia Bale and Fernando Bale blood around, he’s a great option for broodbitch owners.
“And, he’s at the right price.”
Hill bred and raced the dog with his long-time mate George Kairouz.
Mr America will best be remembered for his straight track career, but he was more than that.
He ran a Richmond straight record of 17.11 at his last start, but had won the National Straight Track Championship there, went to Queensland to win the Straight Of Origin at Capalaba in 19.54.
Darren Sultana did a wonderful job with him winning 15 of 19 at Richmond.
Up the straight he was a finalist in the G2 Healesville Cup and The Arrow when trained by Jason in Victoria.
But, he was much more than a straight tracker. He was second in a Geelong Derby and a finalist in the G2 Horsham Cup and Ballarat Derby, but also won at The Meadows in 29.85, at Ballarat in 24.82, Shepparton in 25.00 and Healesville in 19.38.
Tony Wiseman is overjoyed the 35.1kgs speedster is joining his stud dog list.
“Straight racing is a different world and this dog was very, very special,” he said. “But, look at his remarkable performances on the circle when he was young.
“He can bring that to broodbitches anywhere.
“We will get him into the market for Terry and George and we expect him to be popular.”
Mr America’s three littermates include Smooth Jack (12 wins, $40,000) and Louie Lou (17 wins, $28,000).
He is by US galloper SE Tali Sundance a son of the huge Aussie success KC And All and the Kiowa Sweet Trey bitch Flying Cassel.
From a limited number of matings in Australia, SE Tali Sundance is also the sire of star WA stayer Mambo Monelli (19 wins, $238,000) and his classy littermates Gangam Monelli (17 wins, $68,000), Samba Monelli (10 wins, $57,000) and Salsa Monelli (8 wins, $45,000) etc.
All eight of this litter were multiple winners.
Mambo Monelli won WA’s star staying feature the G1 Galaxy.
Mr America’s mother Motel Girl is also a sister to prolific producer Simply An Angel.
Split Image is the dam of Major Major (33 wins, $124,000), while Simply An Angel is the dam of Pump It (18 wins, $127,000) etc.
Major Major won the G3 SA Derby and G3 Gawler Gold Cup and was twice a G1 Adelaide Cup finalist.
Pump It won the G2 Qld Futurity and was a finalist in the G1 Qld Cup. Her half sister Front Page News was a finalist in the G1 Sale Cup.
It is a family much more than a straight track superstar.
“Everywhere this dog went, he ran super times,” said Terry.
“After he injured himself midway through his career, Jason suggested we send him to Darren Sultana to restrict his racing to straight tracks.
“Wasn’t that a revelation and he gave us some huge thrills.
“He deserves his chance at stud.”
