Anfield Girl will Never Walk Alone for the Dargusch kennel

By Isaac Murphy

It’s been a year of change for the Dargusch kennel.

Top dog Never Walk Alone was forced into an early retirement after a health scare, but Casey and Alan Dargusch pushed on and their talent for breeding looks to have paid off in a big way with the emergence of Anfield Girl out of Dyna Double One and Rickshaw Rosie, who has burst on the scene at just eighteen months.

The bitch has won two of her first three races over the 431 trip, sizzling straight to the front for her first two wins in 24.86 and 24.96.

However, it was her remarkable second placing after coming out at the back of the field Tuesday gone that has Casey Dargusch happier than even with her progress.

“Box five is fairly unforgiving from the 431-metre start at Ipswich, if you miss it you’re in a lot of trouble and for her to find a way to be in that finish was amazing,” Casey Dargusch said.

“I think I probably took more out of her second she ran than her first two wins, purely for the fact it’s the first time in her racing and trialling career that she’s got back in a field and had to run on.

“We trialled her against one of our proven dogs Cage to Rattle at Ipswich and she would beat him by three out of the boxes and hold him to a length at the finish, so we knew we had something that could run pretty early.”

Anfield Girl was stone motherless last around the first corner in her Novice, ten lengths off the leader down the back but she didn’t stop chasing, and Dargusch is proud as punch with the effort.

“We didn’t know how she would react when she got back in a field and she showed great race sense on Tuesday night, she railed beautifully and gave herself a chance to win after bombing the start,” she said.

“It’s really nice to have a bitch with the combination of ability and that will to win, she could have packed it in yesterday but she showed us she just loves to run and will definitely get the 520 when she’s ready.”

Dargusch said the signs were there early comparing Anfield Girl to one of the kennel’s original stars in Blue Texada.

“She reminds us a little bit of her half-sister Blue Texada when we were breaking her in, she showed us really explosive early speed first time out of the boxes which you just don’t see with pups of that age,” Dargusch said.

“Once we knew he had something, it was all about timing and not being in a rush - we’ll give her another couple of 431 starts, toss her out for a bit and work her up to five hundred.

“There’s no point flogging her now, it’ll only diminish what she’s capable of in the future.”

Dargusch said Anfield Girl had just continued to take steps in the right direction through her infancy and had no reason to believe she was going to slow down anytime soon.

“She was progressive right through her trials, starting out at 25.60, 25.50, 25.30 but when she came out and ran 24.86 on debut I was just staggered, we’d never had a dog break 25 at the distance and she did it first race start,” she said.

“All her trials and her first win were so impressive and we went into her Maiden final last week where she had box one thinking she was near on unbeatable, which is something we’ve never had with a greyhound before and she went out again and won in 24.96.”

Anfield Girl’s sire Dyna Double One is well known for his sprinting exploits but the Darguschs tried and tested brood bitch Rickshaw Rosie produced again with this litter.

“We bought the dam Rickshaw Rosie off Reg Kay a few years ago and put her to Barcia Bale and got Never Walk Alone and Blue Texada who were a very handy litter, who all won races,” Dargusch said.

“We knew Barcia Bale would work if we went that way second time around, but I really liked Dyna Double One and in the end it was a no brainer to go that way seeing what he’s been producing and they’ve come together for a really exciting litter.

“We sold three to Western Australia, one to Matthew McGuire in Townsville called Gold Assassin who’s won races up there and we’ve got another bitch Anfield Miss who’s probably going to start next week who’s coming along nicely.

“Not quite up to her sister’s standard but she should win her fair share of races.”

It's been a big year for followers of English Premier League side Liverpool, who broke a 30-year championship drought and after Never Walk Alone - the name on the club’s theme song - was retired, Casey Dargusch and son Bailey named Anfield Girl after the club’s home ground.

“We wanted to keep the Liverpool theme going after Never Walk Alone, Bailey (Dargusch) and I are die hard Liverpool fans and loved that people were getting a kick out of Never Walk Alone winning his races, so we had to keep the theme going,” Dargusch said.

“I’ve always tried to keep a bit of a theme with the dog’s names especially with soccer, we’ve had Broich and De Hea; with both Bayley and Riley playing soccer it’s nice for them too.”

Never Walk Alone went on a historic run leading up to this year’s Capalaba Cup, winning eight in a row up the straight before a narrow defeat in the final.

A twisted bowel forced him into retirement, but he is getting the royal treatment at home.

“He’s hating retirement, he’s jumping out of his skin wanting to go running,” Dargusch said.

“He’s recovered fantastically well from the twisted bowel that had him in a bit of trouble and he’s feeling and looking great.

“Alan (Dargusch) floated the idea of putting him back into work and I have to admit I entertained it for a second but said he’s done enough, I would never forgive myself if something happened - he’s still top dog.

“He’s moved to what we call the executive suite at home now, him and She’s Hot Gossip get their own little space away from the other dogs and eventually he’ll graduate to a house dog.”