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  • Wednesday, 07 Jul, 2021,
  • by Victoria Shaw

Decorated veteran calls it a day

Prolific winner Speed Star has retired after remarkably notching his 47th career victory by a whopping seven lengths!

On 25 June, in what was his 113th and final start, the Andrea Dailly-trained son of Fernando Bale and White Spyro won over 460m at Geelong, the same track/distance at which he scored his very first win in June 2018.

Owner/breeder Sonia Davis and husband Craig, in conjunction with the Dailly team, decided it would be an ideal time to retire the extraordinary veteran.

“Speed Star has carried forward some wonderful traits from his brood matron, White Spyro, who finished 3rd in the 2014 (Group 2) Bendigo Cup,” Sonia said.

“Both mother and son were blessed with brilliant early speed, and delightful temperaments, and White Spyro still holds the first split record at Bendigo over 500m (6.32sec).”

“Interestingly, seven years on, that record has only recently been equalled by the impressive Koblenz.”

“I am so keen to continue with this greyhound family line, and I’m really looking forward to seeing Speed Star’s qualities in his puppies.”

Speed Star, who will turn five in October, has endured a more than successful career, contesting country cup finals at Geelong, Warragul and Ballarat.

He was placed a further 38 times to go with his 47 wins, meaning he finished top three in 75 per cent of his starts, which is enough for the Davis’ to register him for stud duties.

“Speed Star has been incredibly sound throughout his career. I am so keen to continue with this greyhound family line, and I’m really looking forward to seeing Speed Star’s qualities in his puppies,” Sonia said.

Andrea Dailly’s daughter Korie Heinrich said Speed Star would be missed by the Anakie training team.

“Tom will miss him especially. He’ll probably shed a tear when he leaves us, he has been such a pleasure to have in our kennel,” she quipped.

As Sonia and Craig make plans to bring Speed Star back to their Murrabit property – with breeding prospects imminent – there is one condition that has been set by the Dailly kennel – that Speed Star return to the Anakie training facility for many, many visits.

WATCH: Speed Star goes out in style, winning his final race start by a whopping seven lengths.

Victoria ShawVictoria Shaw

Victoria Shaw

Australia’s only female race caller and the only woman in the world to have broadcast four codes of racing in this country and overseas. Victoria has co-hosted international racing awards and hosted racing forums focusing on women’s inclusion within international racing communities including Poland, Morocco, Spain & the United Arab Emirates. She has called races on the Victorian thoroughbred picnic circuit and at numerous greyhound tracks around the state as well as the 2020 Waterloo Cup. Victoria is fascinated by the incredible efforts of racing animals as well as the people that love and prepare them, no matter where they are in the world.

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