Good Odds Harada Secures Group 1 Megastar

GOOD Odds Harada added the group 1 Megastar to his bulging resume with a stunning performance at Dapto on Thursday for Frank and Tracey Hurst.

HE was already a millionaire, now the Frank Hurst-trained Good Odds Harada is also a Group 1 winner, and a Megastar, and as Hurst so fittingly described him, he is "a once in a lifetime dog."

The TAB Million Dollar Chase winner on Thursday night also moved into third place on the list of all-time prizemoney winners in Australian greyhound racing.

The $75,000 Good Odds Harada collected for Frank and Tracey Hurst in the Group 1 Beteasy Megastar at Dapto, took his career earnings to $1,223,235, moving him beyond the $1,160,116 of Dyna Double One.

Now just Fanta Bale with $1,365,175, and Fernando Bale with $1,299,370 sit ahead of Good Odds Harada.

The Megastar win caps a phenomenal year for both Frank and his wife Tracey who owns Good Odds Harada.

"What do they say? It hasn't been a good year, it's been a great year," Hurst said. "Not in your wildest dreams do you think this could happen.

"Greyhound racing is just on fire and we're on fire with it. How good is that? It doesn't get much better than this.

"These are priceless memories that we (Tracey and himself) will treasure for the rest of our lives.

"We will probably have dogs all our lives, but we won't have dogs as good as this. This dog is a once in a lifetime dog. He is special. He's a great dog."

Most of the interest was in who would be where heading out of the first turn, and while Victorian Star Start A Riot was first to the winning post, Good Odds Harada began well and pushed up inside the visitor and heading into the back straight, the favourite had taken the lead, and it was really only a matter of times and margins at that point.

Start A Riot battled on bravely for second four lengths behind the winner, with Million Dollar Chase finalist Jimmy Casey running home strongly from second last on the top turn, to grab third a further two and a half lengths away.

The time of 29.58s, was just on a length faster than what Good Odds Harada produced in winning his heat seven days earlier.

"The dog makes his own luck because he's such a ferocious chaser," Hurst said. "He will go through the gaps, he'll push up, you give him a break and he'll make you look silly. If he can get his own way … well he beat the best in the land in the Million Dollar race, and they all had their chance to be in that."

Next on the agenda for Good Odds Harada will be the Christmas Cup at Wentworth Park on December 21, a special four-dog feature event in which he is guaranteed a start.

Latest News Articles