Six Of The Best For Moorleah’s Russell Watts
Russell Watts is enjoying his best season ever as a greyhound trainer, having prepared almost 90 winners this calendar year – more than any other Tasmania trainer.
This week however, he sent the sport's historians scurrying for their record books when his kennel was represented by six winners in succession, a feat that virtually no-one can recall having been performed before.
Destine To Dream ( Bombastic Shiraz – Miss Go Getta) set the ball-rolling for the master mentor at the Tote Racing Centre on Monday night when she took out the second last event on the programme , the Jet Pets Animal Transport Grade 4 (515 metres), her sixth win since she began racing in July.
Six races later, after Sherrin's Choice (Slater – Shanlyn Supreme) had taken out the fourth race on Tuesday's Devonport Raceway programme, the Balmoral On York Grade 4 (452 metres), Watt's had achieved almost the impossible, six from six or a “double hat-trick” of wins.
“I've prepared four winners on a programme before, in fact I was lucky enough to do it at the Devonport Raceway about a month ago, but six winners in succession – a first for me for sure,” the trainer declared on Wednesday.
Introduced to the sport by his late grandfather many years ago, Watt's has invariably featured in the top ten trainer's list, but this year his team has fired like never before.
“I usually prepare fifty or sixty winners in a year, but this year has been exceptional and I may very well achieve a century of wins,” he explained.
“All of my team originate from Victoria, I have three knowledgeable owner – trainers over there that keep my kennel full with greyhounds that they consider will be suited in Tasmania or by my training methods.”
“This year I decided to try and concentrate on quality and so far it has worked well, the majority of my team have won six or seven races and when I consider they are nearing their mark I send them home.”
At the NWGRC meeting on Tuesday afternoon, Watt's won with debut runners Overeem (Path To Power – Dance Token) and Tree Bandit ( Pure Octane – Mid City Mandy), which he considers are both likely to add to his impressive tally.
Overeem took out the Cripps Nubake Juvenile (452 metres) from the red box and Tree Bandit prevailed in the Seba Sheetmetal Juvenile (452 metres) from the blue box.
“They are both pretty promising and should go on with it and I have since trialled another juvenile that ran quicker time than they did winning, so it all augurs well for the future,” he explained.
The trainer is also impressed with Pure Ferly (Pure Octane – Ferly Gain) which made it two in a row at Devonport by winning the Advocate Juvenile (452 metres).
“He is owned in Victoria by the Cesar Millan Syndicate headed by leading trainer Darren McDonald and looks the goods as far as I am concerned,” he explained.
“He is the only one of my four Devonport winners that I backed, so that in itself tells you something.”