Caption: Three-time winner of the ‘Chief Havoc’ at Gunnedah, Garry Streatfield, is considering Ava’s Bluey (pictured) for this year’s feature on June 2 and 9. (Photo: Box 1 Photography)
by Jeff Collerson
CHIEF Havoc did not even race overseas, but in 1974 ‘the pride of Gunnedah’ became the first and only Australian dog to be inducted into the renowned American Greyhound Hall of Fame.
Bought as a pup by Gunnedah’s Jack Millerd, Chief Havoc, who died aged 13 in 1957, won 26 of his 36 races, breaking 20 track records along the way.
His induction in the American Hall Of Fame in Abilene, Kansas, birthplace of America’s 34th president Dwight D. Eisenhower, put Chief Havoc alongside some of the sport’s all-time greats.
Among them are Indy Ann, the phenomenal American bitch who won 137 of 223 races between 1954 and 1957, and England’s Mick The Miller, whose 61 wins from 81 starts included 19 straight victories, among them the 1929 and 1930 English Derby finals.
It is testimony to Chief Havoc’s reputation that the Americans recognised him seven years before they acknowledged Mick The Miller as being one of the world’s supreme champions.
With a reputation world-wide like that, it’s no wonder Chief Havoc’s name is perpetuated annually at Gunnedah with the $40,000-to-the-winner Cup series, scheduled this year for June 2 and 9.
Northern Rivers trainer Garry Streatfield, who won the Chief Havoc Cup three times, with Glenreagh Rocket in 2013 and 2014 and with Glenreagh Skud in 2019, is hoping to have a crack at a fourth success this year.
“I have a good opinion of Ava’s Bluey, named after my three-year-old grand-daughter and her favourite cartoon series, Bluey,” Streatfield said.
“She won her 520m maiden at Albion Park last month and would be suited over the 527m trip at Gunnedah because her run home times are outstanding.”
Streatfield, who has been training for 25 years, explained: “While I was in the Navy I became a regular at Harold and Wentworth Park dogs.
“At the time I was coaching kids’ football teams, but dealing with parents became a problem so I went looking for another pastime and found it as a greyhound racing owner and trainer.”
The rich prizemoney on offer often attracts interstate interest, and Queensland trainer Robert Ayres took out the 2021 final with Lucky Lance.
Ayres didn’t mind travelling to win a race as Lucky Lance subsequently recorded victories at Sandown, Casino, Capalaba, Albion Park, Bundaberg and even Darwin.
Lucky Lance was back for a tilt at a second Chief Havoc in 2022, when he finished fifth in the final to Devil Dodger, trained by Tanya Nieuwendyk from western NSW.
Outstanding young NSW western districts trainer Jay Opetaia won the 2023 Chief Havoc Gunnedah Cup with Street Of Dreams and plans a strong assault on the rich race this year.
Opetaia, 20, was bred to be a successful greyhound trainer as he is the nephew of Scott Board and the grandson of legendary Orange trainer Greg Board.
“I am hoping to have Go Bears, Agland Luai and Street Of Dreams in the Chief Havoc this year,” Opetaia said.
“Street Of Dreams dropped a back leg muscle in November, but is trialling again now and if he stands up he will go back to Gunnedah.”
Each of Opetaia’s trio possess first class Wentworth Park form with 14-race winner Street Of Dreams boasting a personal best there of 29.69, Go Bears, a winner of 22 races, at 29.53, and Agland Luai, named after the Opetaia’s street and the Penrith Panthers rugby league star, has won 17 races, among them an electrifying 29.46 performance at WP.
Gunnedah was the first club in north-west NSW to have TAB coverage, when heats of what was then known as the Chief Havoc Challenge were held there in June, 2010.
The Chief Havoc Challenge final was taken out by Tadmore Buckshot, trained on the NSW northern beaches by Simon Ma.
Just in time for this year’s Chief Havoc carnival, will be the completion of a new judge’s box, video and lure driver rooms, and stewards’ quarters, housed in a single block three metres above the ground.
