Two Group winners in one night for young stud Zipping Garth
Overseeing two of Zipping Garth's first Group-winning progeny on Saturday night was just the start of what is going to be a long and hugely successful stud career.
They were the words of his Group 1-winning Richmond Vale trainer and breeder, Jason Mackay.
On a memorable evening, two offspring dogs of the great sprinter triumphed in big features – Zipping Maserati in the Group 3 $57,500 Brother Fox Final at Dubbo, and Hinto in the Group 2 $57,000 WA Derby at Cannington.
Zipping Garth only started five races, but he won all of them in stunning fashion before suffering a life-threatening leg break during trackwork in May 2019.
Mackay is adamant he is the best dog he has ever trained.
He was shattered after what would have been a spectacular career was abruptly cut short.
But Mackay is now delighted at how well his four-year-old is performing at stud. And it's something he never doubted.
“It's brilliant. He's got a brilliant strike rate. His pups have got good speed – they chase their bums off,” he told AustralianRacingGreyhound.com.
“To get a Group 3 and Group 2 winner on the one night is not very easy to do with a young sire.
“I never questioned it – me and owner Marty Hallinan. I told him he was going to be a star – it was just a matter of time.
“You've got to have good brood bitches on the ground and he's really starting to hit his niche.
“Some of his best litters are yet to come, which is great for him.”
It's a far cry from the day Zipping Garth almost lost his life during routine trackwork.
“He nearly died. He hit the rail at Maitland and snapped his back leg. It was touch-and-go whether he'd lose his leg or survive,” Mackay said.
“He survived, and I've always said ‘if he broke his leg or not, he wasn't going to have many starts' because I was going to retire him at a young age.
“He's going really good and I'm very happy with him.”
With the calibre of bitches Zipping Garth has partnered up with, it is no wonder that Mackay cannot wait to see how his latest litter perform in the near-future.
“He's got Zipping Bailey's pups being broken in as we speak,” he said of his superstar bitch who earned over $371,000 in prizemoney with 21 wins from 43 starts, including the 2019 Golden Easter Egg.
“And Zipping Mitzy's (13 wins from 25 starts) litter is being broken in as we talk.
“And she was an absolute rocket – she ran 29.50 seconds at Wenty. They're all lovely litter who aren't too far off.
“We're just trying hard with our work ethic. No shortcuts and just keep going. We keep trying to get the A-graders, which isn't easy.”