Lightning Sharp, who had only one win in his first 64 races, achieved his third consecutive victory at Richmond on Saturday, marking a significant turnaround at three successive straight track meetings.
Owned and trained by Steve and Narelle Sharp, Lightning Sharp debuted in October 2021 but did not secure his first win until April 2023. Despite his initial struggles, the Sharps never considered selling him due to his excellent temperament.
Steve Sharp, a former rugby league player who played 164 first-grade matches for the Parramatta Eels from 1979 to 1990 and won three grand finals, is now deeply passionate about greyhound racing.
Steve explained that Lightning Sharp's kennel name is Deedee, given to him because as a six-week-old puppy, he was seen as the "docile dimwit" of the litter. While his siblings were energetic, Deedee would sit calmly. In his first two races, he turned around and came back to Steve instead of racing.
This might explain why Lightning Sharp paid $318 on the TAB when he won his first race in April last year, possibly setting a record. Steve and Narelle were drawn to greyhound racing by a dog named Sonny, the original face of the GRNSW greyhound adoption program. Lightning Sharp not only resembles Sonny but shares his gentle nature.
When living on the south coast, Steve and Narelle would walk along the beach with Lightning Sharp without a lead, as he would calmly follow them. Steve mentioned that Lightning Sharp is so gentle, he wouldn't even bite a sandwich.
Recently, Lightning Sharp won a Masters grade three race at Richmond on June 15, a grade two race a week later, and a top grade Masters race on Saturday. Steve believes Lightning Sharp enjoys racing up the straight and prefers being out wide, possibly due to claustrophobia, as he dislikes being crowded.
On Friday night at Wentworth Park, veteran trainer Ron Marsden celebrated a win with Norma Said in the GBOTA Welcome Maiden, his first maiden greyhound to race at headquarters. Norma Said, heavily backed from $2.30 to $1.50, led all the way and won by 11 lengths in 30.28 seconds.
Marsden, a retired truck driver, shared that Norma Said had eight trials at various tracks before Friday night, and he expected her to lead and win, predicting a time around 30.20 seconds.
Greyhounds trained by Marsden typically achieve impressive strike rates. His former stars include Hardaway Titan, who won 33 out of 58 races, and Hardaway Harada, with 42 wins from 90 races. His current standout, Hardaway Chicago, has won 12 out of 26 races.