Career best victory for long-time greyhound owners

By Jordan Gerrans

After decades of ownership in the greyhound code, Noel Noon is proud to say the Group 3 National Straight Track Championship at Capalaba is the greatest victory in his time in racing.

Alongside close friend, fellow owner and former trainer Laurie Meteyard, Noon watched over the fence on Sunday afternoon as the impressive Deck Fifty Two proved to be the top dog in Australia up the grass straight by taking out the 366-metre feature worth $25,000.

Noon estimates he has owned up to 50 dogs over the decades – including many he bred himself – and declared Sunday’s 19.60-second sizzling performance by Deck Fifty Two as his best ever at a greyhound track.

“It was fantastic and the biggest race I have ever won,” Noon said.

“I have had dogs since 1986 or something like that and it would be the biggest race that I have ever won as an owner.

“I was rapt, it was a great day down at Capalaba, my wife was down there with Laurie as well - we had a ball.”

Wearing the red rug, Deck Fifty Two began well and targeted the centre of the track and showed enough toe in the closing stages to hold off fellow Queensland representative and race favourite Impact.

New South Wales qualifier Olsen Street rounded out the top three but it was all the Sunshine State on their home venue.

Deck Fifty Two held off Impact – trained by Kevin Ellis – in the Queensland Final to qualify for the national decider and recorded the exact same quinella against the best straight track dogs from around the country.

The Shannon Brook-based owner Meteyard also trained Deck Fifty Two in his first three starts of his career before he ended up with Group-1 winning trainer Darren Russell at Innisplain.

“He used to train the dog down at Casino but he got crook and we had to sell a few dogs and this and that,” Noon said of his long-time friend Meteyard.

“He is coming good, not having the dogs to train is a relief of his shoulders now and he can just go to the races and enjoy it now, just watching.

“We still do a bit of breeding and a few other things in the industry.

“We kept a few good ones, including this on to Darren Russell, and he is doing a terrific job.

“He has Spooky Fernando for us as well.”

Kennel mate Spooky Fernando is set to go around at Ipswich on Tuesday.

After a sequence of four starts at Capalaba over the last few weeks – which yielded three victories – the team behind Deck Fifty Two are set to head back to Albion Park for some circle racing in the near future.

Noon is unsure what race or series they are likely to target next, declaring he would leave those plans up to Russell.

In the other feature event from Capalaba on Sunday, Kismet Storm claimed the Tommy Hoyland Memorial Final by two lengths for Bianca Whitford.

Meanwhile, Queensland representative Spotted Elk put in a massive race in the inaugural running of the TAB Phoenix at The Meadows on Saturday evening to finish second to Wow She’s Fast.

From box three in the $1.145 million show-piece race, Spotted Elk – trained by Graham Hall at Marburg – shot out of the boxes and led for a long portion of the 525-metre event but was run down late by the young star.

Spotted Elk qualified for the first ever edition of the TAB Phoenix by winning the Listed Queensland Flame earlier this month at Albion Park, beating litter sister Extra Malt.

Both of Hall’s bitches are due back in the Sunshine State soon for races throughout the 2020-21 TAB Golden Greys Summer Carnival.