< Back NO MORE SHOOT('IN) THE BREEZE Sep 28, 2020 “I miss him.’’ Randy Floyd couldn’t hide his feelings about Shoot The Breeze, who left Derby Lane recently for the more lucrative purse structure at Southland Racing in West Memphis, Ark. Shoot The Breeze represented the past and present for Floyd and wife Patti, who operate one of the 14 kennels at Derby Lane. He became their first win champion in 13 years at the January-to-June meet, and his dam – Danicas Go Daddy – provided many fond memories for the Floyds, who raced her at the Florida West Coast track from 2010-13. “Shoot The Breeze was just a nice dog,’’ Randy Floyd said. “He didn’t bother anybody. He wasn’t playful. . . more or less, all business. “He just came out and ran. When we broke him in, I didn’t have any idea he was going to turn out to be this good.’’ Shoot The Breeze was better than good. He developed into Derby Lane’s fastest athlete on the 550-yard course. In the January-to-June meet, the 35-month-old son of track record holder Trent Lee possessed seven of the top 10 times – highlighted by a 30.00-second clocking on Feb. 19. From Jan. 29 to Feb. 22, Shoot The Breeze won a career-high six consecutive races with times ranging between 30.00-30.19 seconds. He won those races by a combined 45-1/2 lengths. “He was cooking then,’’ Floyd said. Shoot The Breeze finished the meet with 15 victories from 24 starts, denying 2019 All-America sprinter LK’s Crush N It of Lashmet kennel a potential record-setting third top-dog meet title in a row. He edged LK’s Crush N It by one win. When owner Charles Haliburton sent his standout greyhound to Southland Racing, Shoot The Breeze departed with a four-race win streak - including an 8-length romp in his final start on Sept. 15. The 84-pound speedster won 29 of 49 races at Derby Lane, and finished third in a pair of stakes races: the $64,000 Sprint Classic on Feb. 29, and the $18,000 1925 Historical Inaugural on Jan. 4. “It was fun to watch him, even though I wasn’t (trackside),’’ Floyd said. “When I left the kennel, I could watch him with Patti on the computer. “He doesn’t break that much anymore, but he rushes down to the turn. And then once he gets around that turn, it’s like, “Forget it, you’re not going to catch him.’’ The previous Floyd greyhound to claim a meet win title was Hometown Boy for the then Floyd & Porter kennel in the January-to-June campaign in 2007. Hometown Boy captured his top-dog title with 18 victories from 28 starts, finishing three wins ahead of runner-up Brady Thomas, also a Floyd & Porter athlete. Hometown Boy owned one stakes title: the Sprint Classic in 2007. He made history in that event by becoming the first dog in the 45-year-old Sprint Classic to complete an undefeated series with four qualifying victories and the title win. Only one other dog has achieved that since: LK’s Crush N It in 2019. Hometown Boy raced from 2005-08, and won 54 of 126 races with $64,072 in purse earnings. He also holds the 550-yard record at Tampa Greyhound Track with a clocking of 30.01 seconds. Shoot The Breeze has impeccable breeding. His sire, Trent Lee, set the Derby Lane 550-yard record with a clocking of 29.59 seconds in 2006. Danicas Go Daddy competed in stakes races at Derby Lane for the Floyds, and won 32 of 172 starts from 2010-13. “Dogs like Shoot The Breeze come along very rarely,’’ Floyd said. “A lot of times, they run so had that they break themselves down. They’ve got one speed, and that’s it. “I was proud of (Shoot The Breeze’s win title). I can’t eat it. I can’t spend it. It’s on paper. But yeah, it was nice.’’ Previous Next

< Back Wheeling Hot Dogs ( as June 6, all races 5/16 unless otherwise noted ) Stan Pawloski Jun 20, 2022 Steve Sarras Kennel’s Florentine has four straight Grade AA wins for trainer Jay Falcone. Xtrem Hess Racing Kennel’s Keeper Cry has two victories, two seconds and a third in his last five Grade AA races for trainer Jill Spicer. Kennel-mate Xtrem Chicken has back-to-back Grade TAA 3/16 wins. Lester Raines Kennel’s SNL Ramey has two victories and two seconds in her last four Grade TAA 3/16 outings for trainer Joel Roden. Kennel-mate RS’s Power House has won three out of his last four trips (D, C, B). Blanchard Kennel’s Frappe has back-to-back wins (A, AA) for trainer Sarah Blanchard. Jacobs Racing Kennel’s Abbi’s Gusta Win has two straight victories (A, AA) for trainer Louise Strong. Brad Boeckenstedt Kennel’s BGR Boogie Man has back-to-back 3/8 wins (B, TAA) for trainer Frank Pellittere. Charter Kennel’s KB’s Expedia has two victories in a row (B, A) for trainer James Campbell. A Ray Kennel’s AMF Witch Wilma has back-to-back wins (B, A) for trainer Joe Palmer. Previous Next

< Back Wheeling Hot Dogs ( as of September 28, all races 5/16 unless otherwise noted ) S Pawloski Sep 28, 2020 Lester Raines Kennel’s Craigie Pirate has won five out of his last six Grade AA starts for trainer Joel Roden. Kennel-mates KBF Country Girl (TA, TAA 3/8) and JS Bee Line (B, A) have back-to-back victories while RS Perfectionist has two wins and a second in her last three outings (B, A). Blanchard Kennel’s Easi Lil Charlie has three victories and a second in her last four trips (B, A, AA) for trainer Sarah Blanchard. Rangel Kennel’s Pat C ZZ Ridder has three wins and a second in his last four 3/16 races (TD, TC, TB, TAA) for trainer Alex Hall. Charter Kennel’s Oshkosh Scarlett has captured three out of her last four starts (C, B, A) for trainer Jay Falcone. Patriot/Taplin Kennel’s Flyin Lucky Time has back-to-back victories (B, A) for trainer Joe Otto. Previous Next

< Back PBKC PRESENTS ROUND THREE ACTION IN THE $50,000 HE'S MY MAN CLASSIC Jan 13, 2020 West Palm Beach, Fl. - Palm Beach Kennel Club presents third-round action for the $50,000 He’s My Man Classic Wednesday afternoon, January 15. Following two rounds of point earnings, the original field of 56 hopefuls has been reduced to 32 athletes, all willing and eager to make it to the top 16. Three Greyhounds will enter round three undefeated, the early speedster Mister Red Rader , strong first-turn rusher Arkans Vega and the most impressive of pups, Sarahdipedy . Match ups on Wednesday afternoon’s stake-qualifying card include: Race 10 features the undefeated qualifying entry, #7 Mister Red Rader (Flying Titanium – Rip N Runnin, B & B Racing). His main competition to keep his three-race win streak alive will be the well-posted #1 Gettin The Money (Offfthebrakedrake – Goodluck Topaz, D. Q. Williams) and the two strongest closers in the race, #6 Arkansbdtxdinoco (Golden Squire – Arkans BD Cheeks, Royal Racing Team) and #8 Lonesome Jones (CTW Base Camp – Blazin Booty, Rader Racing). Luckily, Red Rader drew right between the event’s slowest breakers, which should allow him to get the early lead. The bigger the better! Race 12 features two-round winner #7 Arkans Vega (Atascocita Grey – Asteria Drive, Royal Racing Team). There is no doubt she is racing her career best. Her main competition appears to be the well-posted early-speedster #1 Oshkosh Noisy (Oshkosh Lamont– Oshkosh Vani, James Douglas), round-two victor #2 Pat C Inferno (Flying Fired Up - Pat C Pop In, Koppe, Staats & Collins) and #3 Flyin Artistry (Barcelona Boss – Fly Sarah Palin, Rader Racing). In Race 14 , all eyes will be on the undefeated youngster #8 Sarahdipedy (Superior Panama – Joy Giovanni, Rader Racing). Her round-two victory came from the same eight box and the way the field is set up, cannot see any reason she won’t enter the semifinals with a clean qualifying record. The final qualifier of the afternoon, Race 15 , features several entrants who drew great post positions, including round-two victor #1 Flying Road King (Kiowa Myth – SE’s Hiway Doll, Rader Racing), round-one winner #3 Pat C Dewdrop (Kiowa Myth – Pat C Whereby, Koppe, Staats & Collins) and #8 Go Bon Jane Doe (Barcelona Boss – Go Bon Wego, Royal Racing Team). The top sixteen-point earners following Wednesday’s third round will advance to the Classic semifinals Sunday afternoon, January 19. The elite eight will move on the finale of the $50,000 He’s My Man Classic Saturday afternoon, January 25. The $50,000 He’s My Man Classic is the first event in Palm Beach Kennel Club’s $150,000 “Big 3" Stakes series, which includes the $50,000 James W. Paul 3/8ths Mile Derby (Saturday afternoon, February 29) and the $50,000 Arthur J. Rooney, Sr. St. Patrick’s Invitational (Saturday afternoon, March 14). The Classic is named for Palm Beach Kennel Club racing legend and the track’s first multimedia sensation He’s My Man and dedicated to the man who raised and trained “Roscoe”, Bill Pappas. Previous Next

< Back JS FLAMIN ACE AND FLYING ZULU SELECTED FOR TOP NGA AWARDS IN SHORTENED RACE YEAR Jim Gartland Mar 12, 2021 Two Southland stars have picked up the NGA’s annual Awards; JS Flamin Ace winning the 50th Annual NGA Rural Rube Award as the nation’s top sprinter for 2020, and Flying Zulu capturing the Flashy Sir Award as the best distance greyhound in the land. Flamin Ace finished 2nd in this same vote last year, but edged out LK's Crush N It in this year's contest. Voting for the Rural Rube was a bit more lopsided with Flying Zulu receiving nearly 40% of the total vote. A 2017 son of Superior Panama-CH Sweet Honey raised on the Henry farm in Solomon, Kansas, Flamin Ace had been "destined for greatness" since being purchased as a high dollar sale at the NGA auction in 2018. He has lived up to the billing and has been considered one of the best sprinters in the land since first hitting the oval late in 2018. Since breaking in and reaching AA at Southland in 2019, he hasn't dropped out of the top grade. In his 32 starts at Southland in 2020 he never went off at odds of more than 2 to 1 highlighting his talent via the betting public. He was also voted as Captain of the All American team by the NGA. Owned by Garth Brooks and Lester Raines and racing for the Monte Hoopes trained, Raines Kennel, Ace started the year off with a bang winning five of his first nine starts coming back from a layoff due to a slight injury. He would go on to hit the pay sheet in nine of his next ten starts, five of those being wins including a victory in the $85,000 Southland Derby. He would win five of his next six including four qualifying rounds of the Male Sprint Championship. Racing luck, or maybe bad luck, got the best of him in the finals however, running into much early trouble and finishing seventh. He would grab two more wins before the year was out including a dominating ten length win in November before another minor injury sidelined him for the rest of the year. His steady and consistent style, while always racing against the best, makes Flamin Ace the champion he is. He finished the year with a 32-16-6-2-3 record; an 84% in the money clip! A much deserved award for this fabulous sprinter. Congratulations to Garth, Lester, Monte, and all the connections of JS Flamin Ace. Runner-up in the Rural Rube voting was John and Jill Lashmet's LK's Crush N It. This son of LK's Now R Never-LK's All In picked up two more stake victories in 2020 and finished the year with 29 wins. He captured the Derby Lane Sprint and Husker Magic stakes and won his final race of the year shortly after turning four years old which just happened to be his 93rd win in his 153 lifetime starts. Others high in the voting for the Rural Rube were William O'Donnell's Chillaxification, and Janice Abrahamson's CG's Penny Shoe. Voting was not as close for the top spot in the Flashy Sir contest. Only two greyhounds received double digit votes and were separated by a total of eight votes in the end. Flying Zulu won out over Rasta with FGF Avenger, and Slatex Beretta further back. Flying Zulu is a red brindle son out of Barcelona Boss-Classy Senza . He is the epitome of a distance star as he ran only one official race less than 660 yards in 2020. He won races at both 660 and 703 yards running against Southland's best and was named to the NGA's All American team. After spending time at four different tracks over the previous year, Zulu found his way to Southland in January of 2020 proceeded to win his first two starts in Memphis by a combined 16-1/2 lengths! He would continue his winning ways, mostly at 660 yards but also doing damage at 703 when those starts came his way. He could come from behind, but was even more impressive on the lead, often drawing away by large margins. He would win three out of four qualifying rounds in the Razorback Classic before finishing a hard fought fourth in the final. From there he would move over to 703 yards and promptly win seven in a row including a five and a half length romp in the Marathon Stake during the Festival of Stakes program in October. He would only get one more win before the year was out but battled in every race switching back in forth over the distance courses. He would finish 2020 as the win leader at Southland with an overall record of 38-19-5-2-5 A classic distance star and another local Abilene product, he is owned by Vince Berland and raced for the Kelly Everett trained Bussman-Balakis Kennel at Southland. Congratulations to all his connections! The 50th Annual NGA Rural Rube and Flashy Sir awards will be presented at the awards ceremonies program at the Greyhound Hall of Fame on Thursday night, April 22, during the NGA's Spring Meet. Previous Next

< Back Wheeling Hot Dogs ( as March 14, all races 5/16 unless otherwise noted ) Stan Pawloski Mar 16, 2022 Lester Raines Kennel’s JS Cash Out (AA) and JS Oakietwister (A, AA) have three straight victories for trainer Joel Roden. Blanchard Kennel’s JS Rob Stone has three wins and a second in his last four Grade AA starts for trainer Sarah Blanchard. Kennel-mate Loyal Cmn In Hot has back-to-back Grade AA victories. Imark Kennel’s Monsaberspitfire has won three out of her last four outings (C, B, A) for trainer DiAnn Derr. Brad Boeckenstedt Kennel’s BGR Highball has back-to-back wins (B, A) for trainer Frank Pellittere. Previous Next

< Back Wheeling Hot Dogs ( as of June 29, all races 5/16 unless otherwise noted ) Stan Pawloski Jun 29, 2020 Lester Raines Kennel’s ZB Tremonti has three wins and a third in his last four Grade AA races for trainer Joel Roden. Brad Boeckenstedt Kennel’s BGR Shake It Up has two victories and a third in his last three Grade AA trips for trainer Chris Brill. Xtrem Hess Racing Kennel’s TJ Monza has captured three out of his last four starts (B, A, AA) for trainer Jill Spicer. Kennel-mate Keep Go Quasar has back-to-back wins (B, A). Abrahamson Kennel’s June Bride has two straight 3/16 victories (TA, TAA) for trainer Tom Engle. Jacobs Racing Kennel’s JSK Crockett has back-to-back wins (B, A) for trainer Louise Strong. Previous Next

< Back Wheeling Hot Dogs ( as August 22, all races 5/16 unless otherwise noted ) Stan Pawloski Aug 22, 2022 Charter Kennel’s Jack Parkman has four wins and two seconds in his last six Grade AA races for trainer James Campbell. Kennel-mates Atta Boy Angus (TAA 3/16) and Seven Summers (TA, TAA 3/8) have three straight victories. Lester Raines Kennel’s JS Makeitsnappy has won three out of her last four Grade TAA 3/8 starts for trainer Joel Roden. Kennel-mates SNL Sir Luke (A, AA), Super C Admire (A, AA) and LK’s Simone (B, A) have back-to-back wins while O Ya Thunder Boy has four victories in a row (M, D, C, B). Blanchard Kennel’s Loyal Yogi has two victories and a second in his last three outings (B, A) for trainer Sarah Blanchard. Previous Next

< Back Wheeling Hot Dogs ( as of December 27, all races 5/16 unless otherwise noted ) Stan Pawloski Dec 21, 2021 Lester Raines Kennel’s RS Big D has won eight out of his last nine Grade TAA 3/8 races for trainer Joel Roden. Kennel-mates JS Keep Diggin has two wins, a second and a third in his last four Grade AA starts, JS Saltythursday has back-to-back Grade AA victories and JS Oakietwister has three wins in a row (C, B, A). Imark Kennel’s Imark Daria has five straight victories (A, AA) for trainer DiAnn Derr. Brad Boeckenstedt Kennel’s BGR Bottoms Up has three wins and two seconds in his last five outings (A, AA) for trainer Frank Pellittere. Kennel-mate BGR Ramblin Man has three straight victories (C, B, A). Patriot/Taplin Kennel’s FGF Georgejetson has two wins and six seconds in his last eight 3/8 races (TA, TAA) for trainer Joe Otto. Rangel Kennel’s VJ Sir Bark Alot has back-to-back 3/16 victories (TB, TAA) for trainer John Farmer. Charter Kennel’s Oshkosh Kennedy has two wins in a row (B, A) for trainer James Campbell. Wayne Ward Kennel’s LW Derby Lane has captured three out of his last four trips (M, C, B) for trainer Ron Otto. Previous Next

< Back WILD BLUE BEE CAPTURES $65,000 WVGOBA KEYSTONE CHAMPIONSHIP Stan Pawloski Oct 24, 2023 Wild Blue Bee closed strong in the stretch to capture the $65,000 West Virginia Greyhound Owners and Breeders Association Keystone (3/8th) Championship Stakes at Wheeling Island Saturday afternoon. Breaking from the three-hole, Wild Blue Bee – racing out of the Xtrem Hess Racing Kennel and trained by Jill Spicer – bided his time behind the frontrunners before storming home on the rail to edge out CET Dirty Skinny (Steve Sarras Kennel) by half a length at the wire. Pacesetter CET Marlin (Imark Kennel) settled for third. Completing the final order of finish were CET Dirty Toodls (Steve Sarras Kennel), fourth; TS Woody (Steve Sarras Kennel), fifth; Wild Chomp Dude (Xtrem Hess Racing Kennel), sixth; CET Zink (Imark Kennel), seventh; and JAS Strait Aces (Patriot/Taplin Kennel), eighth. Wild Blue Bee, an October 2021 greyhound out of Barcelona Boss-XT Out N Gone, has 5 wins, 2 thirds and 3 fourths in 14 starts at Wheeling Island this year and finished fourth in the WVGOBA Juvenile in September. He is owned by Randall L. Crabtree. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXC46STOYjY Previous Next

< Back Wheeling Hot Dogs ( as of May 1, all races 5/16 unless otherwise noted ) Stan Pawloski May 1, 2023 Brad Boeckenstedt Kennel’s Smile N Mean It has five straight 3/8 victories (B, TA, TAA, AA) for trainer Frank Pellittere. Lester Raines Kennel’s JS Switchingears has five wins and two seconds in his last seven Grade AA races for trainer Joel Roden. Kennel-mates JS Xtra Fancy has won four out of her last five 3/8 trips (TAA, AA), JS Rush Limbo has captured three out of his last four races (B, A, AA) while JS Top Kat (AA, TAA 3/8) and LK’s Simone (B, A) have back-to-back victories. Imark Trixie has won three out of her last four Grade AA outings for trainer DiAnn Derr. Kennel-mates GF St Kitts (TA, TAA 3/16), Kentucky Gator (B, A) and Saber Enzo (B, A) have back-to-back wins while Imark Ravi has won three out of his last four trips (M, D, C). Charter Kennel’s JSP Razendacash has three straight victories (A, AA) for trainer James Campbell. Kennel-mate You Proof has back-to-back Grade AA wins. Steve Sarras Kennel’s Florentine has two straight Grade AA victories for trainer Mike Holguin. Blanchard Kennel’s Arkwild B Nero has captured three out of his last four 3/8 starts (TC, TB, TA) for trainer Sarah Blanchard. Kennel-mate Stars Align has back-to-back 3/8 wins (TB, TA). Code Red Kennel’s It’s Hunky Dory has two victories in a row (B, A) for trainer Tom Engle. Previous Next

< Back Wheeling Hot Dogs ( as June 13, all races 5/16 unless otherwise noted ) Stan Pawloski Jun 13, 2022 Steve Sarras Kennel’s Florentine has five straight Grade AA wins for trainer Jay Falcone. Xtrem Hess Racing Kennel’s Keeper Cry has won three out of his last four Grade AA trips for trainer Jill Spicer. Kennel-mate Xtrem Donkey has back-to-back wins (B, A). Lester Raines Kennel’s SNL Ramey has three victories and two seconds in her last five Grade TAA 3/16 outings for trainer Joel Roden. Kennel-mate RS’s Power House has won four out of his last five trips (D, C, B, A). Charter Kennel’s FGF Raylan has three straight 3/8 wins (TC, TB, TAA) for trainer James Campbell. Brad Boeckenstedt Kennel’s BGR Boogie Man has captured three out of his last four 3/8 races (B, TA, TAA) for trainer Frank Pellittere. Wayne Ward Kennel’s WW By All Means has three victories in a row (C, B, A) for trainer Ron Otto. Kennel-mate WW Mind Your Biz has back-to-back wins (B, A). Blanchard Kennel’s Artex Kusapin has three straight victories (D, C, B) for trainer Sarah Blanchard. Previous Next