A SMALL investment of $750 nearly two years ago has paid off for Darnum man Garry Allen, who is preparing for his first Group race as a trainer in tomorrow night’s Traralgon Cup.

Wot Price Flash (pictured above in rug 2 running second to Amelia Christa in his Traralgon Cup heat) will jump from box five in tomorrow night’s Group 2 $67,000 Traralgon Cup, a race which Mr Allen said would be his biggest achievement as a trainer.

Mr Allen, father of popular SEN radio presenter and golfing expert Mark Allen, said he purchased Wot Price Flash at the same time as its litter sister, Tree Climber Liv for just $750 each.

Between the two of them they’ve earned a handy $15,000, and both have been in good form lately. Wot Price Flash, which turned two last week, has had 16 starts and placed in 15 of these.

“I saw this litter was born in Sale, and I went down that way to trial some dogs of mine and drove to their house,” he said.

“They took me out to their backyard and there where these 10 pups – she sold them at a very, very, very good price.”

“I know what I like, and I picked the two that I wanted.”

Wot Price Flash is a long shot in the Traralgon Cup, although he has firmed from $51.00 into $35.00 with TAB.

“We’re unlucky to have drawn box five, another box and he may have been a good chance to run a place, but it’s an honor for me to get a dog into such a race,” Mr Allen said.

A life member of the Warragul Greyhound Racing Club, and former president at that club, Mr Allen has recently assumed a role as a committee member again.

He admitted his strengths lie in rearing pups, and said their success is all in their upbringing.

“We have fun here, and the dogs improve,” he said.

“If you look after them when they’re young, they develop into such lovely dogs.”

The trainer said Wot Price Flash has a lot more talent to show.

“There is a heck of a lot of improvement left in him,” he said. “He’s done really well, there’s a lot of upshot in Flash.”

Garry Allen in his days as President of the Warragul GRC.