JUST a short drive past the Darnum footy ground is Garry Allen’s own little slice of heaven – ‘Collen Park’.
It’s more than just his home – it’s home for his greyhounds, too.
Greyhound racing has been in the Allen family for generations. For them, it’s not just a sport. It’s much, much more than that.
Although it has had a particularly turbulent time over recent years, the industry is still full of trainers like Garry – who pour their blood, sweat and tears into it and are rewarded with just a little bit of magic at the other end.
His dogs are family, and Collen Park is their home.
Garry, now 75, got his trainers licence 45 years ago.
He used to help his father out with his own dogs, but as he started to get older, Garry stepped up to the plate.
He worked as the national marketing manager for 7-Eleven for 12 years – a hectic, all-encompassing position – but when he’d arrive home, that stress and strain would fade away as he’d head out to check on his animals.
Garry visits them six times per day. He’s got a chair right next to their kennels and often when he lets them out for a run around, he’ll stay in his seat and just admire them. Love them.
He’s only got the three dogs at his property at the moment – two of them from the same litter, ‘Tree Climber Liv’ and ‘Wot Price Flash’.
Sired by ‘Stagger’ out of dam ‘Hippy Chic’, they were natural born racers.
Stagger won 64 of his 137 starts with a further 38 placings, netting in excess of $210,000 while Hippy Chic also showed plenty.
Tree Climber Liv and Wot Price Flash are both named after Garry’s grandchildren. His son is golfer and media presenter Mark Allen.
That’s just how close to his heart his animals truly are.
On the track, Flash seems to easily have the better of his sister. From 33 starts, he has 13 wins and 28 placings overall – netting just over $26,000 to this point.
But Liv – who has three wins from her 12 starts – has had the better of him each time they’ve faced each other. She’s naturally quicker, but much more temperamental.
“When they’re first born, I put them in and they’re running up and down that little run there and into the little shed,” Garry said from his favourite seat right next to his dogs.
“When they’re three months old, it’s over to the runs. Those runs over there are for the race dogs.
“But these two (Flash and Liv) – they’d declare war on each other, if I put them in together. You couldn’t believe how fast they’d go up and down!
“I’ve got to be very wary of them because they’ll just declare war. I do believe in looking after them – they’re pets.
“I throw the lure around and they go mad after it – they try and take it into their huts and hide from me and all that sort of stuff.
“They are beautiful dogs – I just love them.”
Flash has a set of distinctive orange eyes, but that’s not the only thing that sets him apart – particularly on the track.
He’s constantly missing starts, falling lengths behind the leader, and he often pulls up towards the finish to seemingly look at the leaderboard – not unlike Usain Bolt.
But, just like Bolt, his mid-race pace is nothing short of extraordinary. That’s where his races are won, and the manner in which he does that is simply jaw-dropping.
He’s got his own very unique temperament, just like his sister.
“What I like about greyhounds is a deep chest, which is what he’s got – he’s a solid dog; and he’s also got really lovely straight back legs … look at a cheetah and from hip to toe they’re straight with absolutely fantastic strength. He’s the same,” Garry explained.
“I don’t like wide chests – his is a narrow chest – because when they run their legs have to get back and then get through. I like big heart room, great back legs, narrow chest, deep chest – and he has it all.”
In Flash, Garry has a star on his hands. The same could easily still go for Liv – she’s got incredibly explosive pace that is proven to show up her brother.
Garry has had them both for two years, but it’s where he picked them up from that truly shows how far they’ve come in a fairytale journey so far between not just trainer and race dog, but owner and pet.
“Here were these little pups – a dozen of them in this tiny backyard in Sale,” Garry said.
“These were beautiful dogs – pups – and the council was on this lady because she had 12 pups in one little backyard in Sale and she had to get rid of them.
“I’m online a fair bit and I look at all the pups for sale and I saw that the mother had won $30,000 and won races in the city, and the father – Stagger – had won more than 60. He was a terrific dog, but he had a few problems with his temperament too – he was a bit inclined to fight – but he won nearly 65 races … there’s nothing wrong with that!”
The owner of the litter was willing to sell both Liv and Flash to Garry for $750 each. That’s just astonishing given what they’ve achieved so far, and what they should yet accomplish.
Next week’s On The Land will feature part two of Garry’s story on his incredible bond with his dogs, and also explore his relationship with the local greyhound racing scene – both the highs and lows.
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