Jack Smith: Master McGraw win holds special meaning at Gunnedah

Another win for trainer Jack Smith but this was a special one

Trainer Jack Smith doesn't get too emotional when his greyhounds win feature races.. And it's fair to say that they have won plenty over the years.. But you could tell the victory of Master McGraw in last weekend's $40,000 Chief Havoc Cup at Gunnedah meant a little bit more than usual..

It wasn't just that this was his first victory in the prestigious Cup named after one of the sport's greatest, but that he trains the greyhound for close friends Chris and Sandra Spratt.. "This means a heap to Maree [his wife] and I, as we wouldn't be in the game if it wasn't for the Spratts," Jack said after Master McGraw's five-and-a-quarter-length-win.. "At Sunny Lodge [the Spratts' training facility in Cudal, NSW] they do all our rearing and breaking in and they are the hardest workers in the game..

"This is their dog, and they have trusted us with him, and to win this race for them, means a heap.. "He had to come out well and we did some box practice during the week and I think that helped." In fact, it appears that this box practice helped a lot, so much so that Master McGraw led the race from the start for a dominant all-the-way victory.. "He is only young and he has been a little bit of a surprise because he's kept on improving like good dogs do," Jack said..

"We may look at going to Queensland [for their winter carnival] with him or maybe the upcoming [July 4, Group One] Vic Peters." This article was produced as part of an ACM partnership with Greyhound Racing NSW..