After over 50 years of training greyhounds, Warrnambool’s Colin Kelly has a chance of taking out the country’s most prestigious staying race, this Friday’s Sportsbet Sandown Cup.
He’s had a Melbourne Cup finalist in yesteryear, but yet to crack Group 1 success.
“I trained my first winner in 1969. My brother (Mick) and I had some very good dogs back in the 80s and 90s,” Kelly told Gareth Hall on SEN Track.
He trains Miss Mary Jo who will jump from box 6 in Friday’s $220,000 final – she’s the only greyhound he trains.
“We bought her and her brother when they were pups – we paid $7000 for both at three months old.”
She’s the rank outsider in the big one, but that’s not unusual. She has an average starting price of $16 throughout her career, but has won 10 of her 49 starts.
She took advantage of some late race drama in her heat and won at odds of $41 – a cherry on top of the race prize money for Kelly.
“I had something on her at $51, and something on at $301 to win the final.”
Despite admitting that race favourite Lady Wilson will be tough to beat, he understands the reality that there are no certainties in racing.
“We’re there so we’ve got some hope. You can’t win it sitting at home.”
