Caption: Tony Brett and Jury, winners of the National Sprint at Albion Park in 2017.  (Photo: Box 1 Photography)

Former top racecaller and now greyhound journalist and historian PAUL DOLAN takes us inside the caller’s box for some memorable Nationals:

There is an often used saying – if something isn’t broke, don’t try and fix it.

And so it is with the National Sprint and Distance Championships.

In 1965 Best Sun won the first Sprint Championship at Sydney’s Harold Park, representing New South Wales. Victorian Amerigo Lady won the inaugural Distance Championship, run in 1969 at Wentworth Park.

There has been some tweaking of the conditions over the long time that these races have been run, but the overall concept hasn’t changed much at all, nor should it.

When I was calling races, an often asked question was – did I get nervous before a feature race?

My answer was – sometimes. But it was a case of ‘always’ with the Nationals.

The greyhounds and their trainers were representing their state and I felt as though the racecaller, that being me when the races were run in Brisbane, was doing the same.

I just found myself with an attack of the nerves leading into those races. Because the finals rotated among the states, most of the metropolitan track callers, myself included, got to call the Nationals once every six years or thereabouts.

So, to get that opportunity was pretty special.

Night greyhound racing in Queensland commenced at the Gabba on April 6, 1972. I was one of more than 11,000 people in attendance that night, as a spectator and punter, not racecaller.

In 1973 the Gabba hosted the National Distance Championship. I was there, watching outstanding Victorian stayer He’s Some Boy struggle getting around the tricky shaped track but still proving too good.

The great entertainer Mick Cox called that race.

Mick was also behind the binoculars two years later when Sydney bitch Dotie Wilson won the Distance Championship at the Gabba.

In those early days of the Championships they were run at a different time of the year and at different tracks.

In 1977 Mick called the Gabba’s first National Sprint Championship, won by the dazzling Victorian speedster Bowetzel. From box one he donkey-licked his opponents, scoring by five lengths for owner-trainer Geoff Harrod.

In early 1982 Mick Cox retired from racecalling and the Gabba duties were handed to Terry Spargo. A few months later Terry called his first National Championship, that being the Sprint. Terry had the thrill of calling home a Queensland winner.

“It was a long time ago, but I remember it well. Madonna Lee bounced straight to the front from box four and scored by a clear margin. I’m pretty sure she ran a slick time for the 558 metres trip. She was trained by Neil Thompson, a well-respected trainer based out Lawnton way,’’ Spargo recalled.

Terry is correct. Madonna Lee won by two lengths over high quality Victorian sprinters Tempix Image and Kid Campbell.

Her time of 32.73 was her best ever at the Gabba. The track record stood to the Peter Rayner trained Iron Hawk at 32.39.

The Gabba’s next taste of the Nationals was in 1986, the National Distance Championship, also called by Terry Spargo.

Trained on the Darling Downs by Gary Cameron for his good mate Jim Grundon, Kirsty’s First from box two was the short-priced favourite despite the presence of top Sydney stayer National Lass.

Kirsty’s First strolled home by five lengths.

Cameron was based at Oakey, a small town 30km west of Toowoomba.

“When I started training and taking the dogs everywhere to race, petrol was 13.9 cents a litre and we thought that was high. I felt a bit spoilt getting Kirsty’s First.  You can only expect one like her in a lifetime and she did make the petrol bills less painful,’’ he said.

Greyhound clubs relied on betting turnover with the tote and bookmakers back in the 1980s for a sizeable part of their income.

The National Distance grand final night in 1986 saw betting go close to a Gabba all- time high by race nine.

Unfortunately, the last race was declared a ‘no race’ with monies refunded to punters on that last race costing the club its record betting turnover figure. 

My first opportunity to call a National final was the Sprint of 1988. And what a race it was.

Gabba superstar Dancing Gamble, trained by Pauline Fruend, led all the way to hold off fellow Queenslander Daring Coup for Dennis O’Keefe.

Third home was highly-rated Sydney dog See Yah.

Unfortunately for its backers and connections, in the heat of the moment loading See Yah into its box, the handler took off the lead but not the collar. Sea Yah looked to be slightly inconvenienced running with his collar on.

Whether it cost him the race, we will never know. He finished about one and a half lengths from the winner. The stewards didn’t read the riot act to the handler, realising he was embarrassed at the mistake and the matter should be left at that.

My first National Distance final to call was at the Gabba in 1991.

Despite my nerves it turned out to be an easy race to call.

Just a Charm was the winner, owned by the popular Steinke sisters of Ipswich and trained by Dave Palmer.

Just a Charm won by ten lengths in a slick 41.45 for the Gabba’s 704 metres staying journey.

In 1994 it was decided by AGRA to run the Championships at the same venue and in the same week. In 1996 I got to call the Sprint and Distance finals, both run for the first time at Albion Park.

Ron Ball’s Boronia Blossom made it ‘back-to-back’ wins in the distance final following victory the previous year at Melbourne’s Olympic Park.

The National Sprint Championship was won by Shayne’s Champ, a three lengths winner from box three. The dog was trained in Victoria by Peter Jovanovic.

For quite a few years I thought it was strange that the National Sprint Championship winner received $40,000 and for the Distance champion it was only $20,000.

It was a matter I highlighted on radio and in the written press.

Brisbane GRC chairman Michael Byrne agreed with me and in the year 2000 took the matter to the AGRA conference.

Byrne got the matter over the line. So, in 2001 National Sprint winner Heinerik Bale and Distance winner Tip Top Tears both received $40,000 and also very importantly, both races were now group one.

In 2002 Victoria cleaned up at the Nationals run at Albion Park. In the Frame for Eric Castle won the sprint title and Boomeroo, trained by Michael Edwards showed his class winning the staying final.

What a night it was for the next time the National finals came to Brisbane. It was 2011.

Ron Ball’s Metz Magic was the second reserve for the Sprint final, obtained a start from box five after two scratchings and scored comfortably from Cold Fusion and Allen Hertz.

In the Distance final it had been announced that hometown hero Dashing Corsair would retire, win lose or draw.

The dog had been under an injury cloud, but made it to the race and made it to the winning post first, a neck winner over fast-closing Victorian Lady Arko.

I felt like jumping out of the broadcast box to carry Dashing Corsair across the line!

My last call of the Nationals was in 2017.

Jury led all the way from box three in the Sprint. He was very much the genuine article, winning his heat, the state final, then the grand final.

In the Distance, Fanta Bale, a bitch who also wears the ‘genuine article’ tag, led all the way from box one.

I knew that 2017 would be the last Nationals I would call, having a planned retirement in the pipeline.

I was particularly pleased that Tony Brett and Robert Britton trained those two winners.

Both men are unparalleled in not only being magnificent trainers, but are two very genuine people.

Queensland’s next hosting of the National finals will be at the new Q track next year.

Meantime, Angle Park is this month’s host. It will be a real buzz for the racecallers who get to call future National Championship races.

And no doubt some nerves will creep in.