GREYHOUND racing has long been looked at as a battlers sport, but that all changed on Friday night when Fernando Bale became the first greyhound in the world to win one million dollars.
Trained in Victoria by leading conditioner Andrea Dailly, Fernando Bale reached seven figures with a win in the Group 1 Adelaide Cup in South Australia, taking his career earnings to a staggering AU$1,006,110.
With a career spanning just over 10 months, Fernando Bale has won 31 of 38 starts including seven Group 1s, two Group 2s and one Group 3, while he also holds track records at Bendigo and Traralgon.
Tom Dailly, husband of trainer Andrea Dailly, was in awe of the white and dark brindle dog, which tips the scales just shy of 30 kilograms.
“He is a sensational dog to train – he is just a freak,” Dailly told CupsBetting.
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Watch Fernando Bale break the $1 million record from box six.
After the Topgun he will be prepared for his racetrack farewell in the sport's most prestigious event, the Group 1 Melbourne Cup, a win in which would see him pocket an additional $420,000.
“He'll have an easy few weeks – his next start will be the Topgun – we will probably give him a trial at The Meadows in between as there is a 15 day break in between the races, but we haven't decided definitely yet,” Dailly said.
“He is only a young dog and he loves racing – when he knows he is going racing he gets very excited – so hopefully he can put a couple of more wins together before he goes stud.”
While Fernando Bale is the sole greyhound in the seven figure club, he joins an elite group of racing animal athletes to have reached the elusive sum through their track exploits.
The first thoroughbred to break the magic million was the US racehorse Citation which, in 1948, became the eighth winner of the American Triple Crown.
The bay won a total of 32 of his 45 starts, amongst those victories was his famous 16 race winning streak which included the Triple Crown, Jockey Club Gold Cup, and Pimlico Special.
At the end of his three year old season, Citation had won 27 of 29, however when he returned at the ages of five and six his record became much more sporadic. He ended his career in 1951 with consecutive triumphs in the Century Handicap, the American Handicap and the Hollywood Gold Cup.
Citation's win in the Hollywood Gold Cup saw him retire as racing's first millionaire.
The first Australian horse to win seven figures was the mighty Kingston Town, the only horse to win three Cox Plates.
An inaugural inductee into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame, Kingston Town won 30 races from 41 starts, including 14 Group 1s, and retired with prize money in excess of $1.6 million.
Kingston Town, a son of Bletchingly and Ada Hunter which failed to meet his $8,000 reserve at the sales, was trained by the legendary Tommy “T.J' Smith, the father of leading Sydney mentor Gai Waterhouse, and ran last in his debut race start as a two-year-old colt. He was then gelded and returned in the final weeks of the season to score a commanding victory in the Round Table Handicap at Rosehill at the massive odds of 33-1.
Kingston Town went on to win his next five starts, culminating in the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes. “The King” was defeated at his first attempt in the Melbourne direction when finishing third in the Caulfield Guineas. He followed that run with a fourth in the Caulfield Cup and a second in the VRC Derby.
Kingston Town dominated upon his return to Sydney, winning his next 11 starts in stunning fashion. The following year he returned to Melbourne, placing in the Caulfield Stakes and Caulfield Cup before winning his first Cox Plate.
The superstar was plagued by injury throughout the remainder of his career, but still managed another two Cox Plate triumphs as well as a win in the Group 1 Western Mail Classic and an unlucky second in the 1982 Melbourne Cup.
Check out some of Kingston Town's best wins below.
Cardigan Bay was foaled on September 1, 1956, and raced in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the US. An inductee into the NZ Trotting Hall of Fame, Cardigan Bay was 1965 and 1968 US Pacer of the Year, with his major victories coming in the 1962 & 1963 Auckland Trotting Cup, the 1963 New Zealand Trotting Cup and 1963 Inter Dominion.
Australia's first standardbred to break the million dollar barrier was the champion pacer Gammalite, a winner of 16 Group 1s throughout his decorated career.
Gammalite was bred, trained and raced by Leo and Maureen O'Connor and was a two-time winner of Australasia's pinnacle harness event, the Inter Dominion Pacing Championship.
Gammalite retired to stud in 1985 with the record of 179 starts for 94 wins and 53 minor placings with a total of $1,386,480 in earnings.
You can watch the story of Gammalite in the below video.
