Stately Bird’s crowning Golden Easter Egg achievement

In the history of racing at , which stretches back to the 1940s, there are only 10 greyhounds who have won 20 or more races at the course. Nine of those 10 have competed over the 520 metres trip on the post 1987 circuit, and all nine have achieved their feats on the loam surface (1993 onwards).

As far as the is concerned, four of those who have proven to relish the Wentworth Park circuit have gone on to be finalists in a Golden Easter Egg, with one of them making the final eight two years running.

Perhaps it is fitting that Stately Bird, the greyhound who reigns supreme as the winner of the most sprint races ever at Wentworth Park, won the 2000 Golden Easter Egg. He overcame box five to down the Victorian Mystical Gem by just over a length with Queenslander Mabilis Babe third.

Stately Bird would finish his career with 25 victories on the Glebe circuit, all of them over the 520 metres trip, and 11 of them in the best of the night. That number puts him alone as the winner of the most number of sprint events at the course, and equal with Turbo Top as the winner of the most races over all distances at Wentworth Park.

Turbo Top won 22 races over the then 530 metres grass trip, and three others over what was then 722 metres.

Another greyhound who would go on to win 20 or more races at the Glebe headquarters also in Stately Bird's final, running a solid fourth. Flash Joan was an all-distance star who won 13 of her 41 races over the sprint course at Wentworth Park in her career. She also notched nine victories over the 720 metres journey to give her 22 victories on NSW's premier circuit. Her nine wins over the longer journey were achieved from a mere 13 starts (two seconds).

Golden Milo made the final of the Golden Easter Egg twice, in 1998 and 1999. This brilliant sprinter sits in third place in terms of overall sprint wins over 520 metres at Wentworth Park, and equal third on the all-time list, alongside Turbo Top's 22 530-metre successes. He raced 55 times over the 520 metres for 22 wins, 12 seconds and seven thirds, with seven of his wins in the best of the night.

The most recent of the top flight of track winners to make a Golden Easter Egg final was , who finished sixth behind in the 2009 final.

For the record, the five Easter Egg contemporaries who failed to make a final are Slick Appeal (who won 17 of 59 sprint starts and seven of 20 distance races), Lucy Lawless (who scored 20 wins in just 43 starts at the course), Benny's Alarm (a winner of 20 of 67 outings), Sally's Title (11 wins in 38 sprint starts and nine successes from 24 over the 720 metres) and Zipping Willow (who possesses the incredible figures of 20 wins from just 27 attempts at 520 metres).

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Joe McFadyen
Joe McFadyen
9 years ago

I was there the night the “bird” won the Easter egg… Trained by a really nice bloke named Ken Paull. Don’t know whatever happened to him?

Kim Cee
Kim Cee
9 years ago

Missing from this list of champions is 1990 Greyhound of the Year Classy Spider, she won 23 races on the grass Wenty Park track, 8 of these wins were consecutive. Stately Bird broke her record for most number of wins around the track over 520m. Classy Spider was also a finalist in the inaugural Easter Egg.

Joe McFadyen
Joe McFadyen
9 years ago

I was there the night the “bird” won the Easter egg… Trained by a really nice bloke named Ken Paull. Don’t know whatever happened to him?

Kim Cee
Kim Cee
9 years ago

Missing from this list of champions is 1990 Greyhound of the Year Classy Spider, she won 23 races on the grass Wenty Park track, 8 of these wins were consecutive. Stately Bird broke her record for most number of wins around the track over 520m. Classy Spider was also a finalist in the inaugural Easter Egg.