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Mellen joins High Class party at Capalaba

29 January 2022

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By Alex Nolan

Trainer Greg Mellen’s name returned to the winners' list for the first time in over three years recently and it could feature more often thanks to his portion of a smart litter.

Mellen has five youngsters by Bekim Bale and High Class Belle, a litter that has taken Capalaba by storm recently.

Five of the six pups to hit the track have recorded wins, led by the Christine Bourke-trained Shot The Sheriff with six wins and Don’t Tell Helen with three.

Senri Gardot became Mellen’s first pup to join the party when she won her second start at Capalaba on January 16, giving the North Ipswich trainer his first winner since October 2018.

Biscuit Roller then won at his second start down the straight last Sunday, beating home kennelmate and first-starter Mosin Nagant.

Capalaba

JUST GREYHOUND PHOTOS 366m

Both return to Capalaba this Sunday, where Biscuit Roller will be out to record back-to-back wins in the Novice, which comes up as Race 2. 

Mosin Nagant, named after a sniper rifle that is said to be 'fast and accurate', will look to shake his maiden status in Race 1. 

When it comes to preparing his pups for the races, Mellen leans on a quote by one of Australia’s greatest horsemen.

“Bart Cummings once said something along the lines of ‘horse are always trying to tell you something’ and that it was his job to listen to what that was,” he said.

“They all go well but there’s no point rushing them. They’ll tell us what to do.”

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Capalaba | Capalaba Greyhound Racing Club | 12:07 PM

JUST GREYHOUND PHOTOS

Mellen said he liked the litter from the day they were whelped.

“It might sound weird, but I said to Christine (who bred the litter) that it was as if these dogs had been here before,” Mellen said. 

“Christine said at the time they were the strongest pups she’d ever bred and they’ve progressed from there.

“Mine weren’t a one-month break-in, they were broken in over some months but having said that, within one or two starts (after debuting) they've started running smart times.”

It wasn’t all rosy in the early hours of life for Senri Gardot, who was the last pup to be born.

Mellen said Bourke – with whom he shares committee duties at the Chubb Street Trial Track – dedicated upwards of 20 hours trying to save her life.

“It was a fairly dedicated effort and the average person may have given up,” he said. 

It led to Senri Gardot’s unique name, which derives from talented Japanese drummer Senri Kawaguchi (worth looking up on Youtube) and American singer Melody Gardot, who overcame significant health issues.

Mellen believes Senri Gardot was a deserved winner on January 16, despite receiving an ounce of luck late.

“She was bobbing around in behind them like Shot The Sherriff does but when she saw daylight she cleared out,” Mellen said.

Mellen is keen to continue taking the pups to Capalaba for the time being.

“Confidence is paramount,” he said.

“If you’re young and start playing rugby league and get knocked around and hurt a few times, you’re less likely to want to play again and the same goes for greyhounds.”

Bourke’s brigade will also feature at Capalaba on Sunday.

Shot The Sheriff leads the charge from Box 2 in the Best 8, which comes up in Race 7.

Earlier, Don’t Tell Helen will be looking to record back-to-back wins in Race 4.

Beck And Call, who returned from a minor injury layoff at Capalaba on Wednesday, will jump from Box 4 in Race 3.