Weinert Scores Incredible First Training Victory
Rebecca Weinert hasn’t trained too many dogs, but has had a significant impact in the South Australian Greyhound Racing community for many years and on Monday night at Angle Park, she trained her first winner in the form of Zabdon Avalanche. Not only was it a fantastic achievement to train her first winner, but the story and perseverance behind this dog is brilliant. Zabdon Avalanche had been in solid form since returning from a serious injury and his strength and ability was on show for the win. He jumped from box two over the short 342m trip and came out really well, but quickly found himself with a challenger to his outside. Zabdon Avalanche was able to hold his preferred spot on the rail, before booting away in the home straight and winning in 19.74. The win brought in a range of emotions for Bec, with profound proudness for her favourite boy shining through.
“It was kind of overwhelming, I was just in disbelief and when he was pulling away on the line I was wondering if anyone was going to go wrong, I just was just saying come on baby.” said Bec
“It was really surreal, I started crying and I was just like come on woman just stop!”
The journey to have Zanon Avalanche back in the winners list for the first time since March 2021 is simply incredible, with Bec reflecting on the journey.
“When I bought him he had broken one stopper and dropped one back leg muscle, that’s why I got him as cheap as I did, because they couldn’t keep him sound and I thought well I don’t mind a challenge.”
“He had 9 months out when I first bought him and that’s when Adrien (Chevalier) first started training him, we got a few wins out of him, then he dropped his other back leg muscle.”
“I brought him home with me and had no intention of bringing him back. After three months he was going nuts, like he wasn’t happy if he wasn’t on the walking machine and he wasn’t happy if he wasn’t running. So I started putting him back on the walking machine and massaging his back leg muscles. Then I thought, oh well and started trialling him and he was trialling well and pulling up good so we did the 6 months satisfactory.”
“Then, on his first race start for me, he was crashing that hard between dogs he broke his stopper halfway up the Murray Bridge Straight Track. He still kept running and came third!”
“Five days after he broke the stopper I said to Greg (Moore), I don’t know what to do, he’s going nuts. So I had to put him straight back on the walking machine. He’s just psychotic, he’s not happy unless he’s racing.”
“After that I made a deal with him, two back leg muscles and two stoppers, if you don’t pull up sore, you can keep racing!”
Bec has been well supported by many people throughout her journey, but there's one person in particular that she credits her knowledge of the greyhounds too.
“I learnt everything I know from Wendy Matcott, she taught me everything I know. I helped her for 15 years out there on a much larger scale, they had 84 race kennels so it’s a big difference!”
Bec only has Zabdon Avalanche in work, with one of her other chasers Zipping Chrome having recently been retired.
“He’s (Zabdon Avalanche) the only one in there at the moment, apart from two broadies.”
“I get him out about 7 o'clock in the morning and he runs around for 20 minutes, then after that we either go to the galloping track or he goes on the walking machine.”
Whilst Bec was no doubt feeling extreme jubilation after Zabdon Avalanche won, she had quite the drama on the way home as she hit a kangaroo and wrote her car off. Thankfully her and Zabdon Avalanche were totally fine.
Bec also runs a Greyhound Blanket making business and will be looking to train a couple of more dogs when that starts to slow down.
“I’ve just been waiting for my business to wind back because over winter it is pretty hectic.”
From here, Zabdon Avalanche will be aimed at a few masters races and hopefully he can stay sound and fit.
“Only because of the injuries he has got, which aren’t causing him any pain, I want to keep it semi easy with him, but as he showed on Monday night, he is still capable of matching it with the big boys. I’m thinking I will try and get as many masters as I can, but I will give him another start this Monday over the 342.”
Bec is an incredibly popular person within the local industry and her love for the Greyhound breed brings joy to those around. The win is a fantastic achievement and hopefully it can be the first of many more.