Coursing ‘new kid on the block’ Rock Me Rocco reigned supreme over 2022 Waterloo Cup ‘king’ He’s No Slouch in the $1265 to-the-winner Western Saws Cup at Lang Lang on Sunday.
Trained by Donna Dean at nearby Nyora – around 10 minutes from ‘McDonalds Track’ – Rock Me Rocco signalled he could be a major player in the 150th Waterloo Cup in August.
Rock Me Rocco (Oct ’20 Barcia Bale x Dora’s Hand) was contesting only his third coursing event, having won the Elgas Maiden Dog – also at Lang Lang – only two weeks earlier.
“Defeating He’s No Slouch put a smile on our dial as he’s such a star,” an ecstatic Donna said. “We may even return with ‘Rocco’ for the Waterloo Cup.”
“Coursing gets them going again; it gets their minds on the job.”
Donna made an 11th hour decision to attend the history-making meeting – exactly 150 years to the day of the first-ever coursing meeting at Sunbury – as she wasn’t feeling well. No doubt Rock Me Rocco proved a perfect panacea.
“I’ll always be a coursing devotee,” Donna added. “It really perks them up if they’re not putting in on the circle.
“Coursing gets them going again; it gets their minds on the job. Not all greyhounds are suited to the possibility of three ‘slips’ in one day, but coursing brings out their natural instinct.”
Donna’s coursing modus operandi with Rock Me Rocco is logical and simple.
“He only had the racing blinkers taken off last week. So, I wanted to have him 100 per cent keen prior to going back to the circle.
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“He had time off a few months back due to a couple of floating bones in a toe… He’s naturally strong and I’m hoping he’ll eventually go over more ground.”
Bred and owned by Donna’s daughter Rhiannon, 25 – a physiotherapist – Rock Me Rocco is ironically no ‘slouch’ on circle tracks.
Rock Me Rocco – winner of five races (with three seconds and six thirds) from 28 starts – has made a couple of finals at The Meadows and more recently has been racing over the middle distance on both metropolitan tracks.
His maternal line traces back to one of the all-time greats – National Lass. She won 40 races from 63 starts and established six track records.
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National Lass won the 1984 and 1985 NSW NCA Greyhound of the Year titles and was inducted into the AGRA Hall of Fame in 2003.
“I wouldn’t be able to be involved in the sport if not for my children,” Donna informed. “Jake, 19, and Dakota, 13, are also a fantastic help – it’s a family affair.
“We all chip in and do what we need to do… We love our dogs and they’ve all got their own personalities and idiosyncrasies.”
Pawnote: The Gary Brett Memorial was taken out by Promises Broken – trained by Robert Redenbach.
