Ernie Bung Arrow

NO doubt someone will be able to help me but what does Ernie Bung Arrow mean, apart from "very fast greyhound".

Ken Gill trains the unbeaten son of Lochinvar Marlow-Slipper's Tonic who could not have been more impressive when winning the Champion Puppy Stakes at Angle Park last Thursday night.

He downed another very smart South Australian in Dustnado and beat him fair and square. Dustnado has one of the best pedigrees I have seen.

Ernie was bred by Barry Jones and is owned by Helen Deacon.

Barry deserves a medal, but I imagine the simple fact he bred a high class dog like Ernie Bung Arrow is reward enough.

I am amazed at the lack of depth in the pedigree Barry put together, but the intensity with which he has produced a very smart race dog.

Without knowing the "behind the scenes" of this damline, and that is always a trap when making judgments, Ernie Bung Arrow's damline has been struggling for some generations.

His dam Slipper's Tonic (Bond-Slipper's Gin) raced seven times for just four placings.

She had litter brothers Slipper's Spirit (6 wins) and Unleashed Bond (4 wins) who at least won races.

Ernie's second dam Slipper's Gin (Cry Havoc-Slipper's Rose) raced 88 times and won 13 races and was placed 27 times.

She obviously had ability and was a multiple Angle Park winner but never broke 30-seconds in any of those wins.

Slipper's Gin obviously didn't have to.

Next dam Slipper's Rose (Jurassic Vapour-Onyx Rose) raced 58 times for three wins and did run 30.14 winning at Angle Park.

While three wins from 58 starts does not indicate Slipper's Rose was a great race bitch, she does have a claim to success.

Her dam Onyx Rose (New Tears-Tele Supreme) was a better than handy producer.

Among her progeny was Phantom Devil who counted wins at Wentworth Park, The Meadows and a 29.63 performance at Angle Park. He also won at Sandown, Cranbourne, Geelong, Wangaratta and Warragul so there was a dog who could really run.

Another of Onyx Rose's progeny was Sid's Secret who interestingly finished third to champion Boomeroo in the 2001 Champion Puppy Classic at Angle Park.

So why then has a damline that appears to be just chugging along in recent times all of a sudden producer a young star?

Wee Sal!

Anyone the slightest bit interested in pedigrees should take a good, hard look at the pedigree of Ernie Bung Arrow.

Dam Slipper's Tonic is in-bred 3x2 to Sobbing Sal (New Tears-Wee Sal) and her half brother Cry Havoc (Head Honcho-Wee Sal).

This means Slipper's Tonic is dominated by the genetic make-up of a Hall of Fame broodbitch in Wee Sal.

It didn't necessarily come out on the racetrack in Slipper's Tonic herself.

There are more than enough examples of similar instances. Holly Hotpants is one. Check out her pedigree. She is in-bred 2x2 to Sobbing Sal and her half sister Malagro Sal (a litter sister to Cry Havoc).

Holly won one race, at Tweed Heads, but to outcross sire Kiowa Sweet Trey she produced the very smart city performers Doyen Star, Beltah Magic and Roman Express.

The outcross mating allowed the hugely in-bred Holly Hotpants genetic saturation of Wee Sal come through to her offspring.

But when breeder Barry Jones decided to mate Slipper's Tonic, he went for a further reinforcement of Wee Sal.

He did this by putting her to Lochinvar Marlow the Group 1 Paws of Thunder winner who just happens to carry Brett Lee as his damsire.

The mating to Slipper's Tonic duplicated and balanced Brett Lee 3x3.

So can we put the undoubted ability of Ernie Bung Arrow down to a saturation of Wee Sal? Maybe.

At 20 months of age, Ernie is highly promising.

I had a phone call just the other day from a Queensland mate with the news that a double of Brett Lee isn't working.

Knowing Ernie was then hot favourite for the Champion Puppy at Angle Park a few days later, I didn't have the heart to dispel my mate's news.

Ernie did that himself.

And, speaking of Lochinvar Marlow, Ernie's victory in the Champion Puppy has come at the right time in his stud career.

I have always felt Lochinvar Marlow could make it at stud and have recommended him a number of times.

That cross of Brett Lee as his damsire certainly gives Lochinvar Marlow many opportunities at stud.

Breeder Barry Jones deserves every bit of praise for having faith in this damline and being rewarded with an outstanding young dog.

Now, can someone tell me what that name means!

SPEAKING of high class gallopers, Surfin' Kawati (Surf Lorian-Tarzane's Girl) showed at Albion Park last Thursday night he is just that.

Lois Neal owns and trains the dog who ran 29.74 in a graded race. He had already broken the Ipswich final section win a few months before.

Lois' husband Eddie reckons Surfin' Kawati can break the track record of 29.57 at Albion Park, a mark held by another son of Surf Lorian in Made To Size.

Tarzane's Girl, dam of Surfin' Kawati, is by the Tweed Galaxy winner and handy sire Bitability Bale out of Zane's Girl.

She is a half sister to Tiarta and Megabrooke Sue (by Yo Yo's Boy) who were first and second in the SA Oaks a few years ago.

Another littermate, Incision, went to the US for the Derby Lane Millions and won a round or two.

Zane's Girl, second dam of Surfin' Kawati, is a litter sister to the former star Group 1 performer Bentley Babe.

Another litter sister I'm Puzzles is the dam of Superman (by Brett Lee) winner of Group 1 Perth Cup and Hobart Thousand and Group 2 Qld Derby and now a very, very good sire.

Next dam Malawi Blue just happened to be a litter sister to former champion sprinter Mancunian Girl winner of a Golden Easter Egg and Australia Cup.

This is the family of Sheila's Teresa the 1984 Victorian greyhound of the year who was a star stayer of her time.

I suggest anyone interested should look at the pedigree of Autumn Sandy, the second dam of Sheila's Teresa.

Now there is an in-bred pedigree.