Final Farewell For WA’s Most Consistent Veteran Vocal Enforcer
This week the curtain will close on the career of one of Western Australia's most tenacious and consistent sprinters, when Vocal Enforcer steps onto the track for the final time.
The stunning Black son of Black Enforcer was bred by his owners Peta and Rod Noden from the well performed bitch She's Vocal and has been a fantastic racer for connections and trainer Andrew McLaren as a winner of 34 races with 34 placing's from 81 racetrack appearances with a dazzling bank account which topples over the $240,000 mark. This figure firmly sits him on the list of Australia's Top prize money earning greyhounds which can be found by following the link: Australia's Top Prizemoney Earn Greyhounds.
Vocal Enforcer's finale will be this Saturday night at his favourite track, Cannington, where he will be lining up for his third consecutive crack at The Sandi's Me Mum Memorial over the 530 metre distance. The memorial pays tribute to the greatest Western Australian sprinter Sandi's Me Mum who dominated racing in the late 80's and early 90's, becoming the first and only greyhound to take out two National Sprint Championships for her late mentor Gerry O'Keefe. This week McLaren will be hoping that third time is lucky for Vocal Enforcer after finishing second in the event last year to Surf A Coin however he does face an extremely tough task with race favourite On Coin drawing ideally in box two. On Coin is the western states newest sensation and defeated Vocal Enforcer in last week's heat by four and a quarter lengths in 30.73 seconds. Although well beaten the four year old veteran raced with plenty of heart and zest but he does have it all stacked against him this week after being allocated the awkward box five for the decider.
Win, lose or draw this Saturday night it will not detract from the sheer superstar this exciting character has been since commencing his career on the 17th November 2010. After beginning his career in fine style, the 33 kilogram speed machine went on to dominate the WA racing scene over the sprint distances throughout 2011, racing 36 times throughout the year for the impeccable record of 18 wins and 13 placing's which earned the chaser and his connections a fantastic $143,070 in stakes money whilst he also racked up an extra $37,800 in WESTCHA$E breeders bonuses for his lucky owner/breeders (For those not familiar with the WESTCHA$E Incentive scheme it is an ongoing incentive that relates to the breeding and purchasing of city-quality greyhounds in WA to ensure that the strength, competitiveness and class of city racing is upheld within the state).
Throughout 2011 the sleek speedster qualified for ten feature finals which was highlighted when he took out the Group Two Solo All Stars Sprint which is the second biggest sprint feature on the WA racing calendar. Vocal Enforcer also took home the prize in the Puppy Classic and the Anniversary Cup whilst he was also a placegetter in four feature finals throughout the year including a second placing in the 2011 Group Two WA Derby. A testament to the speed of Vocal Enforcer, the talented greyhound also defeated the likes of WA champions Miata and Pedrosa throughout the year and broke the 30.50 seconds mark at Cannington on a stunning twelve occasions. These remarkable accomplishments saw the sprinter crowned as WA greyhound of the year for 2011.
In 2012 Vocal Enforcer returned to the racetrack 27 times which resulted in ten wins and fourteen placing's astonishingly only missing out in the top three positions on three occasions throughout the year. In 2012 the powerhouse succumbed to injury which kept him out of contention for the Perth Cup, however he managed a second as previously mentioned in the Sandi's Me Mum Memorial, a third in the Spring Gift at Cannington behind WA champion bitch Hot Irish, a great second behind Uno Reltub in the W.A Bred Championship before returning to defend his title in the All Stars Sprint where he finished third to Hot Irish. The fact that he raced so consistently throughout the year, particularly after racing against the elite WA sprinters the entirety of the previous year is a true testament to the dog's determination and tenacious nature. When many greyhounds let their form slip after a purple patch, Vocal Enforcer maintained his racing form in Free To All and Open Company for the whole of the year.
Returning this year the dependable dog has started on twelve occasions, and true to his form has kept his name and reputation intact claiming three of those races with six placing's. Whilst the veteran is getting on in age, he has still been competitive against WA's top echelon of sprinters finishing third to Saving Bundles in a heat of the 2013 Perth Cup and taking out the 2013 Perth Cup Consolation in February.
With such a spectacular racing career now coming to an end, it would be an amazing sight to see the old fella cross the line in first position just one last time for his racing goodbye. The thrilling chaser definitely deserves one last night in the spotlight, and whilst he faces a massive task taking on the state's newest sensation, there is no doubt he will be the sentimental favourite for many racing enthusiasts with a few tears to be shed for his departure on Saturday night. Regardless of where he finishes, Vocal Enforcer has been a fantastic dog for Andrew McLaren and Peta and Rod Noden and has taken them all on a magnificent ride spanning over two and a half years with a wonderful retirement and potential stud career now in clear sight for this once in a lifetime champ!