SKY-HIGH SHELBY! - Greyhound Clubs Australia

MEDIA RELEASE
                        25th October 2008

                    SKY-HIGH SHELBY!
                                  By Peter Quilty

High flyer Cindeen Shelby was airborne in the $100,000-to-the-winner invitational Group
1 Sky Racing Topgun (525m) at The Meadows on Saturday night.

Cindeen Shelby entered the sprinting stratosphere for the second time in three weeks,
having taken out a $100,000 first prize in the Group 1 Paws of Thunder at Wentworth
Park in Sydney on October 3.

Trained by Kelvyn Greenough of Pearcedale, Cindeen Shelby accounted for a crack
speed squadron in notching her 22nd win from 39 starts. Her stakes spiralled to
$312,000.

              Cindeen Shelby powers home to win the 2009 Top Gun
A former postal worker, Greenough ditched the working nine-to-five syndrome in the
late 1980s and made a life-changing decision to train greyhounds on a full-time basis.

“It was something I thought I had to do, even though I didn‟t have a failure plan,”
Greenough said.
                                                     Continued on Page 2 …

2

 “I just took the punt and was fortunate enough to receive the total support of my wife, Jacqui… I
suppose I‟m just one of the lucky ones.”

Greenough said he had another “stroke of luck” when Cindeen Shelby was transferred to his kennel
shortly after she finished seventh in last year‟s Topgun.

At the time she was trained near Newcastle by Deen Parkinson and owned by his father, Ray.

“Deen stayed with us for last year‟s race, and not long after I received a phone call asking if I was
interested in training Cindeen Shelby,” Greenough said.

“The Parkinsons have shown tremendous faith in me and that loyalty is something I‟ll always cherish.”

Cindeen Shelby, inaugural winner Golden Currency (1993) – who dead-heated with Worth Backing –
and Wylie Boy (1996) are the only greyhounds to contest back-to-back Topguns and win the race. In
all, only nine greyhounds have competed in successive Topguns.

“I know it sounds strange, but Cindeen Shelby is a greyhound that „talks to you‟,” Greenough said.

“She‟s extremely intelligent and wants all the attention… She‟s just a lovable greyhound.”

Cindeen Shelby is only the second female greyhound to claim the Topgun in its 17-year history. She
emulated the feat of New South Wales speed queen Mint Magic in 1999.
“It‟s very difficult, in terms of sheer physicality, for a female to compete with the males in these big
races,” Greenough said.

“But she gives as much „pushing and shoving‟ as she receives at this level.”

Cindeen Shelby ($3.60) defeated Australian Cup hero Velocette ($3.20F) by one and a half lengths,
with National Sprint Championship runner-up Dyna Lachlan ($5.00) a neck away third in 29.75sec.

Then followed: High Earner ($15.10) and Dashing Corsair ($32.50), both from Queensland, Turanza
Bale ($12.10), and Take The Kitty ($11.60) and Cosmic Rumble ($7.70), both from New South Wales.

The Topgun jinx for Lara training genius Graeme Bate continued with Velocette and Turanza Bale.
Greyhound racing‟s cups king, Bate is yet to taste Topgun glory – albeit he has had 10 runners in
eight Topguns.

Cindeen Shelby will now be set for next month‟s Superdogs Series at Sandown Park.

She will contest the Group 1 Crown Classic series (winner $50,000) and Group 1 Melbourne Cup
series (winner $175,000).

Pawnote: Here‟s a statistical quirk involving the only two female Topgun winners…

Cindeen Shelby is sired by 2003 Topgun winner, Bombastic Shiraz (who also sired this year‟s runner-
up Velocette and last year‟s winner Regal Thyme).

Mint Magic is sired by 1994 Topgun winner, New Fox.

                                                                         Continued on Page 3 …

3

Cindeen Shelby is Red Fawn Bitch whelped August '06 she is by Bombastic Shiraz from Proper
Shelby (Royal Assassin x Proper Angel). She is raced by Ray Parkinson and trained by Kelvyn
Greenough the Group 1 Top Gun win took her record to 40 starts for 23 wins and nine placings and
prizemoney earnings of $312,050.

             Kelvyn & Jackie Greenough with Cindeen Shelby (All Pics Paul Munt)

Listed below are the past Top Gun winners since the race commended in 1993.

Year      Winner               State         Trainer              Time         Track
1993      Worth Backing        (VIC)         Carl Haas            30.56        Sandown Park
          Golden Currency      (VIC)         Kevin Mugavin Jnr    DH
1994      New Fox              (NSW)         Dennis Reid          29.98        Olympic Park
1995      Rapid Hiker          (VIC)         Philip Newman        29.80        Sandown Park
1996      Wylie Boy            (VIC)         George Rose          30.09        Sandown Park
1997      Chicago Blue         (VIC)         Brian Furness        30.00        Sandown Park
1998      Rapid Journey        (NSW)         Jane Carruthers      29.85        Sandown Park
1999      Mint Magic           (NSW)         Ray Watson           29.97        Meadows
2000      Placard              (NSW)         Ruth King            29.92        Sandown Park
2001      No Intent            (VIC)         Jason Thompson       30.17        Meadows
2002      Lindale Blue         (WA)          Colin Bainbridge     29.76        Sandown Park
2003      Bombastic Shiraz     (VIC)         Darren Cairns        30.06        Meadows
2004      Whisky Assassin      (VIC)         Jason Thompson       29.40        Sandown Park
2005      Black Enforcer       (QLD)         Tony Brett           30.02        Meadows
2006      Jaimandy Coops       (VIC)         Paul Donohue         29.60        Sandown Park
2007      Meticulous           (VIC)         Mario Briganti       29.88        Meadows
2008      Regal Thyme          (VIC)         Graeme Long          29.75        Meadows
2009      Cindeen Shelby       (VIC)         Kelvyn Greenough     29.75        Meadows

          For more information please contact:
          Neil Brown                                Brenton Scott
          AGRA Publicity Officer                    AGRA Executive Officer
          Tel: 03 97691234                          Tel: 02 96497166
          Mob: 0423 129 950                         Mob: 0438 402 198