November'06 - Greyhounds Queensland

Steve celebrates 20 years at GRAHE'S big and boisterous and a jolly man,known to everyone simply as "Big Steve".Officially he's Steve McGrath, deputychairman of stewards at the GRA, who hasjust celebrated 20 years on the stewards panel."I started on 9-9-86," Steve told TheJournal.McGrath had arrived in town fromRockhampton where he had cut his teeth as asteward from 1982, as chairman stewardsthere from 1984-86.For the past eight years he has been deputychairman behind Danny Ryan.Big Steve loves his job."I've seen some fantastic highlights butnone will top the two Gold Coast Cupvictories by Flying Amy," he told The Journal."To see her win it at the jump, both times,was so exciting. She was at the end of themat before the rest of the field had come outof the boxes."And Pretty Fearless at the Gabba wassomething special as well."McGrath says he has seen a multitude ofchanges in his 20 years at the GRA, andincludes the changing faces among those."The biggest changes have been the lossof tracks but these were done for economicalreasons. I regarded Toowoomba's as the bestracing surface I've seen."But McGrath is a popular man despitehaving to also rule the industry."I never get tired of the funny stories weget told," he said. "I loved the good old daysof betting plunges, the sprint from the mainring to the betting ring at the scoreboard endat the Gabba."Big Steve and wife Debbie have beenmarried 25 years this year. Their son Damienis 10 and an avid sportsman.Damien was named after top jockeyDamien Oliver who has been a long-timefriend of McGrath since he landed theCaulfield-Melbourne Cup double onDoriemus in 1995."We've got a pic of Damien Oliver andour Damien together when our Damien wasjust 18 months old," said Steve.McGrath is a jolly fellow, ever keen for apractical joke ... mostly with racecaller PaulDolan as the victim."For many years the practical jokes weplayed on Dolan, and he played on us, weresomething else," said McGrath."We painted graphite grease on hisheadphones which left Paul with big blackmarks all over his ears and a strip on his head."And we nailed his briefcase to the floorat Beenleigh one day. Dogsy hastried his best to get us backthough."Those days have come to a haltsince the on-course broadcastboxes have been moved too farfrom the stewards rooms at mosttracks.McGrath is a Broncos fan. Infact, he's so passionate about hisrugby league team, "fan" wouldnot do him justice. He is on firstname basis with all members ofthe team and coaching staff."I've followed them since1988 and I try to get to training atleast once a fortnight, and I nevermiss a home game," he said.He has also been to the pastseven Grand Finals and nine in all,seeing the Broncos succeed twice but nonemore pleasing that this year's victory.McGrath has tempted the Broncos intogreyhound racing.Barry and Shaun Berrigan, Tony Carroll,Craig Maguire, Brent Tate, Justin Hodges,Sam Thiaday, Ben Ikin and juniordevelopment officer Paul Dwyer are allinvolved in greyhound racing syndicates.McGrath ... minus his Broncos jersey.Of his own future, Big Steve sees noreason why he can't still be in greyhoundracing control for the next 10 or 20 years tocome.He says the introduction of twilightgreyhound racing has been a boon for theindustry. For two decades, Big Steve McGrathhas been helping guide the industry on its way.BackgroundWhatever the task in life, it is importantto lay a firm foundation if best results areto be expected. This should also be theprime objective of breeders and trainerswishing to achieve success on the track.How do we do this? Assuming thegreyhound has the credentials (breeding)to win, we should then look at other factors,including diet.An adequate and well balance diet isthe essential requirement for goodhealth, development, strength, stamina,speed, soundness and athleticperformance.When planning a diet to meet theseneeds, the aim must be to provide anadequate intake of energy, protein, fibre,fluids, minerals, electrolytes andvitamins to ensure vitality, good healthand peak performance.According to Dr John Kohnke, arespected veterinarian in greyhoundnutrition, these considerations are vitalingredients for success.Dr Kohnke also said energy, with theexception of water, is the most importantcomponent of a greyhound's diet.However, despite this good advice,some trainers still deviate from tried andtrue practices and pay the ultimate penaltyin the shape of disappointment.It makes one think of the wisdom ofsayings, such as: When you're on a goodLay a Firm Foundationfor Better Resultsthing stick to it, leave well alone, don'tchange horses in mid stream, and others likeit.Over the years it has been debated whethertraining and feeding of greyhounds is an "art"or a "science".Whatever the belief, preparing andtraining the racing greyhound can be achallenging and rewarding experience.A well balanced diet with careful use ofsupplements at all stages of life is essentialto reduce stress, maintain health, optimizeperformance and aid recovery.Simply, the aim is to set the rightfoundation for a good start and bestresults.Three old favourites still be bestThe three foundation products I haveselected to give greyhounds a good start arewell known to trainers world-wide.The first one is Feramo-Greyhound, theworld's first supplement specificallyformulated for greyhounds more than 30years ago and one that still holds pride ofplace as the supplement of choice to correctminor imbalances and inadequate feedlevels in all racing, breeding and growinggreyhounds.Make no mistake, Feramo-Greyhoundis an oldie but a goodie which is formulatedto NRC standards with additional amounts ofvitamin A, D, iron and other trace mineralsto meet the specific needs of the racing andgrowing greyhound.Importantly, over the years Feramo hasundergone formulation updates on aregular basis to match new researchfindings related to nutrition,Feramo is easy to use and isrecommended as a set rate daily supplementfor all greyhounds.The standard 1 teaspoon (4gram) dose isadequate for racing greyhounds.The next foundation product I haveselected is Calci-D, a product specificallyformulated to correct the imbalance ofcalcium and phosphorus in meat added tothe diet.Calci-D is given at a calculated dose ratein direct proportion to the amount of meatfed. Calci-D is formulated to provide anoptimum balance of bone minerals as well asvitamin A and D to regulate uptake andbalance of these minerals in the body.Calci-D comes in a powder form and as asuspension.Trainers are well aware of the powderform which is recommended for racinggreyhounds, brood bitches and growingpuppies after weaning. Calci-D Suspensionon the other hand is specifically formulatedfor young puppies that are learning to lap.If it is not shaken prior to use, it can bepoured slowly from the bottle as a gel whichis ideal for young puppies to lick off bitchesteats, or lap from a plate or a saucer placed inthe puppy area.More later about extra uses and handyhints for Calci-D and about correct mineralrequirements for good bones, fewerfractures and less down time at the track.The third member of the foundation triois Beta-Cel, an electrolyte (body salt)formula and the first of its kind developedto meet the specific needs of the racinggreyhound.Beta-Cel is something special and isthe ideal electrolyte for greyhounds ifbest performance is expected.Once greyhounds start to gallop or raceon a repeated basis, the requirement forcertain electrolytes increases.Most trainers are aware of the routineuse of Beta-Cel, but there is even muchmore to know about this electrolytefoundation supplement and I will elaboratefurther when discussing the extra uses andhandy hints for Feramo and Calci-D.However, it is important to rememberthat Beta-Cel is recommended as the baseelectrolyte supplement in the greyhound'sdiet to which other electrolyte formulationssuch as Beta-K, Recharge and Neutradexcan be added as required to meet specificneeds or aid recovery from travelling orracing.In summaryI speak with confidence about the bigthree foundation supplements and themany thousands of trainers using them aretestament to how they are perceived in thegreyhound world.Tried and true products such asFeramo, Calci-D and Beta-Cel are worththeir weight in gold and trainers find themeconomical and reliable with the addedassurance they are doing the best for theirgreyhounds.More later on about routine use, handyhints and special purposes for this fabuloustrio.The (November, 2006) Journal Page 13