Worm Burner

AN email came early last week from Editor Adam Dobbin alerting me to the Greyhound Recorder's new website with its up to the minute news, race fields info, free adverts ... you name it.

But what interested me most, and Adam knew this for sure, was the interactive info on any and every greyhound racing about today.

Well, that was the end of me for the rest of the week!

It is the proverbial minefield of info and stats that have long, long been wanting in this industry.

So, when Worm Burner (Oaks Road-Little Looper by Primo Uno) made his debut for Jason Thompson's kennel last Thursday night at Sandown and promptly scorched to a 29.18 win, I just had to give the Recorder's new website a thorough test.

One click onto Worm Burner and it brings up his entire form of 64 starts for 39 wins, nine seconds and six thirds for $308,000 in stakes.

It showed me the dog has a winning ratio of 70%.

One click on the "Breeding" aspect of his page and this immediately brings me to the lifetime breeding stats for both his sire Oaks Road and dam Little Looper.

It shows Oaks Road had his first runners in 2014 and to today's date, he has had 1231 runners to have contested 15,757 races and win 2305 times. His progeny has earned $4.7 million. That's a winner-to-runner percentage of 14.6 and a placing-to-runner percentage of 42.8.

His stats are then broken up into distances and it clearly shows his progeny are NOT stayers.

But what I found amazing was the stats for Worm Burner's fabulous mum Little Looper.

She must be one of the very best broodbitches this country has.

Her first pups started racing in 2011 and from 976 starts they have won 309 races a winner-to-runner percentage of 31.7. The placed-to-runner percentage is 62.2 for a total of $888,296 in stakes. When you consider her progeny race mostly in South Australia, it is an amazing feat.

I went looking for comparisons among broodbitches who get all the publicity.

Chloe Allen, dam of champion Fernando Bale, has a winner-to-runner percentage of 15.4 (Little Looper's is 31.7). When Fernando bale and his superstar litter was racing a couple of years ago, Chloe Allen's winner-to-runner percentage rose to 19.8 ... still a mile behind Little Looper.

Paul Wheeler's famous broodbitch Princess Bale (dam of Barcia Bale among a number of race stars) had a winner-to-runner percentage of 25.2.

Dyna Double One's dam Crystin Bale boasted a 19.8 percentage.

Interesting, I know, and these are just aspects of the Recorder's new feature that will be incredibly influential when breeders come to making up their minds about which stud dog to use, which bitch line to buy into etc etc etc.

Cheltenham breeder Alan McCulloch could never have imagined just what a goldmine he had when he started breeding with little Looper the winner of 15 races and placed 23 times from 79 career starts.

Already her daughters are proving exceptional.

Last Saturday night's Traralgon Cup runner-up Fabregal (a multiple Group winner) is by Fabregas from Allinga Aye Jay (El Galo-Little Looper).

Allinga Aye Jay's litter sister, Cameron Butcher's star bitch Hope's Up has a special litter by Nitro Burst which includes prolific winners Molly Be Nimble (20 wins) and Penny Maker (17 wins).

While Little Looper is a breed shaper, she is also yet another example of the Wheeler's foundation broodbitch Gail's Beauty making good.

She traces directly to a bitch called Proven Legend (Legendary Kid-Proven Charm) the winner of the 1990 Provincial Cup at Shepparton.

Proven Legend, a foundation bitch herself for leading Victorian breeder Tony McGrath, is in-bred 2x1 to the virtual litter sisters Silver Tail Girl and Proven Charm. They are both from the Temlee sireline and both have Oddnik as their second dam.

And therein lies another example of intense in-breeding providing a superstar broodbitch. Oddnik, dam of champion Odious, has three crosses of legend broodbitch Brenda Gay, two of Magic Babe, three of Blue Linen and six of Chief Havoc.

The Recorder's new website is a huge winner for punters, all those who want to catch up on the latest news etc.

But for me, those breeding stats are and will forever be a goldmine.

Adam tells me the Recorder is working on improving this aspect of the site and with those additions ... well, how did we ever live without them!