Owner toasting a special greyhound in Valpolicella

By Jordan Gerrans

Just like his late father many decades ago, greyhound owner Sandro Bechini is making a handsome profit when it comes to Valpolicella.

The Tony Zammit-prepared stayer is regarded as one of the pin-up dogs in the country as she has collected Group 1 victories and feature events around Australia over the last year. 

She is the hot favourite to add another elite-level triumph to her resume on Friday evening in Victoria as she has drawn the red in the Group 1 Sandown Cup Final over 715 metres.

The black bitch is edging closer to the magical $1 million milestone for career earnings as well, sitting at $954,710 ahead of Friday’s $175,000 race.

Sandro is not in it for the cash.

He is a greyhound lover and has been since he was a youngster attending the races at Harold Park with his father. 

But, it certainly does not hurt to see that kind of money rolling in.

Sandro lost his beloved father Graziano – who introduced him to the code - around 30 years ago.

That is where the inspiration to name his star stayer Valpolicella comes from.

The Western Sydney accountant can pick up the story from there about the dog he bred.

“My father had a wine shop in Sydney and a fellow that was importing wine from Italy was going into liquidation and the guy had a lot of wine that he wanted to move on quickly otherwise the authorities would take it or sell it for basically nothing,” Sandro recalls.

“This was in Leichhardt and back in the late 1980s.

“The man offered 50,000 bottles of wine to my father and we paid a $1 a bottle – and this was nice Italian wine of course, it was bloody good stuff.

“My father resold it all and the majority of the wine was Valpolicella. We made a very handsome profit on the wine.

“We put it in the bargain bin for $5 a bottle and it went quickly seeing as it was worth about $12 a bottle but we just wanted to move it on as quickly as we could.”

As well as his wine shop, Graziano was a bookmaker.

As the popular red wine had been such an amazing money spinner for the Bechini clan, Graziano and Sandro spoke about naming a dog in its honour before his death.

Now into his early 60s himself, Sandro most certainly took his time when pulling the trigger on naming the dog after the famous ‘drop’ but he is glad he waited. 

“We always thought that was a good name for a dog,” he said.

“My father said all those years ago that when you have a good dog you should name it Valpolicella because we are making such a good deal on this one.

“I had a few nice dogs over the years before this but my father said to save the name for a good dog and that is what we have done.

“When she broke in so well, I thought she might be the one to give the name to as I am not getting any younger. That is all how it came about – it has worked out well.

“I waited and waited and then found one worthy of the name, but without Tony training her and the way he looks after her - put it this way, she was born good, but she wouldn’t be as good without his care and attention.”

In his days as a university student many decades ago, Sandro prepared a team of dogs himself and enjoyed some success before stepping away from having his own kennel when work and family commitments ramped up.

“I started with a couple of dogs and I had some reasonable success,” he recalls.

“I had one bitch Allegrezza and she won about 18 races for me - Tony Zammit would have won 60 with her.

“She was a good stayer. She won the Rooty Hill Gold Cup at Penrith, won at Harold Park, and she got me through university.”

He remained connected to the code as an owner from then on after handing in the lead and collar. 

Hall Of Fame trainer Zammit has enjoyed a special ride with his top staying bitch and appreciates the versatility she shows in her races of late, able to lead or come from behind in the field.

“She seems to know now how to work her way through a field,” Zammit said.

“It is a great blessing for her as a stayer.”

Valpolicella’s winning hit list includes a Group 1 Zoom Top triumph, the Gold Cup on home soil in Brisbane and the recent $500,000 The 715 at The Gardens.

As of Thursday morning, the daughter of Shima Shine is a $1.65 shot to claim the Sandown Cup Final to add another Group 1 title to her overflowing curriculum vitae.

The Sydney-based Sandro heads to Melbourne on Friday with his daughters to watch his cherished stayer.

He has followed her around the country and has eyes on heading to South Australia’s Angle Park later this year for the Nationals as well.

“It has been pretty surreal, there is no doubt about it,” the owner said.

“If you have a dog that wins $100,000 you are blessed but to win this much – it is incredible really.

“It does not even feel real but it is real and happening. You just have to take it all in. It is amazing the amount of money in the sport at the moment.”

The Yatala-based master trainer recently gave his kennel star a short freshen up with a busy schedule on the horizon.

While the Sandown prize is front of mind right now, the legendary conditioner has his eyes on the 2024 Queensland Winter Greyhound Racing Carnival as well.

“Everything going alright we have the winter carnival up in Brisbane and there will be a lot of stayers from this Sandown series up for that,” Zammit said.

“Being on her home turf, that will be good for her as well.

“I am really happy for Sandro and his family; he has been in the game for so many years.”

Zammit has remarked in recent weeks that Valpolicella may be on the verge of becoming the greatest dog he has ever trained.

If she would take on that mantle, Valpolicella would have surpassed Trojan Tears in the master trainer’s eyes.

A fellow stayer, Trojan Tears was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the 2021 TAB Queensland Greyhound of the Year awards.