How A Giveaway Came To Win The Robert Smith

GIVEAWAY youngster Big Boy Wilson gave Medowie owner-trainer Martin Bowe his biggest success in his racing career when leading throughout to win the Robert Smith Memorial Maiden Final (515m) at The Gardens on Saturday night.

Martin answered an advert on Greyhound Data back in August last year giving away the son of Barcia Bale and Kissing Carter.

“I had a spare kennel at the time, noticed the advert giving him away and was in the right place at the right time,” he said.

But it was never plain sailing.

“I got him home and got John Newell to check him out,” said Martin. “He found a few issues which we fixed up.

“I thought I would get him ready for those nice maiden races they were running at Wenty but he hurt himself. And he was terrible in the boxes at the time.

“I tried to remedy that with a starting box I have at home, but he went nuts and hurt a wrist.

“It took ages to get that right.”

But get it right he did and Big Boy Wilson started to show potential in a few short trials around The Gardens.

“I put him into a maiden at Wenty and he was handy down the back straight but one of John Finn's was miles out in front and this bloke got a bit lost,” said Martin.

“He got into the final but got flattened.”

Which led into the upcoming home track maiden feature, the Robert Smith Memorial Maiden.

“He loves an inside draw and he was underdone in the heat but ran second off the rails,” said Martin.

“When he drew the two in the final, he improved and I gave him a great chance.

“He galloped three-tenths quicker than anything up the straight before the final.”

Martin says there was no way he was going to jinx Big Boy Wilson in the final by backing him.

“I have to be the worst punter ever,” he admitted.

“I had $1 each way on a dog called Fernando Bale and he ran fourth, then he won his next 11 in a row.

“I got a tip for a horse in Queensland called Winx and had $10 on it but it ran second. She then was not beaten again.

“One Melbourne Cup, I picked the winning trifecta but made a mistake and put it on the race before the Cup.”

The first person to congratulate Martin by text after Big Boy Wilson's victory was his previous owner.

“He told me all dogs have got ability, but it is up to the trainer to get it out of them,” said Martin.

“I was chuffed by that.”

Big Boy Wilson will head back to The Gardens for a one to three wins series next week.

“He is 32.8 kilos, but looks like he should be 38 kilos,” said Martin.

“He is so long and so leggy. I'm flat out standing over the dog.”