Rodgers Chasing “Dream” Young Star Triumph

LEE Rodgers cannot believe just how quickly her rise in greyhound racing has come.

It was only last April she had her first ever starter.

Come June she landed her first winner with Firefly Charlie at Richmond.

Then she quickly made it a winning double when Let Me Know was successful the same night.

Now Lee heads to Wentworth Park on Friday night with exciting youngster Sid Core (Collision-St Kitts) taking on the final of the TAB Young Star where $25,000 awaits winning connections.

Lee cannot believe just how quickly things have progressed for her in greyhound racing.

Sid Core is only the fourth greyhound she has trained and the ride to this stage has been driven by harness racing.

“My entire family has always been involved in harness racing,” said Rodgers.

“They won a group 1 at Bulli with Die Wondering.

“And Sid Core was bought at a week old by Mick and Jinaya Shadlow who also have had a lifelong involvement in harness racing.

"Sid Core is their first ever greyhound.”

Lee knew Mick and Jinaya from harness racing and when they asked if she would look after Sid Core after breaking-in she jumped at the chance to train him.

She has also become part of the syndicate that races him.

“He did not break in anything flash, but we found a few things wrong with him when we got him home and he has just kept improving and improving,” said Rodgers.

“There is so much more in this dog. The more I do with him the more he takes in and the better he goes. It's all just so exciting.”

Lee admits just being part of the heats of the Young Star last Saturday night was a dream come true.

“But to make the final is absolutely something else,” she said.

“He's not well boxed in the five because he likes to get to the rail, but anything can happen in racing. That's what I'm hoping for.”

Lee received four tickets to Million Dollar Chase final night and pleaded to get two more for her children, son Ryan, 18, and daughter Jessica, 15.

“They just had to be there,” said Lee.

“Like all of us, they have had to make sacrifices when training greyhounds and they deserve to be part of a night like this. It's great they are allowed to be there.”

Those sacrifices have been part of the Rodgers routine right up to the past couple of weeks.

“We moved house only last week, from one acreage property to another, but unfortunately the house on the new property was not ready to move into yet,” said Rodgers.

“So I slept in the kennels with the dogs. I had to make sure they were around someone they knew at all times when making the move.”

Lee first got the greyhound bug when she met Jim Coyle at a TAB branch back in 2015.

“It was at the time Jim had Evil Punk racing,” she said.

“We got chatting and the first time I ever went to a race meeting at Wentworth Park was when Evil Punk ran in the Golden Easter Egg final.”

She was instantly hooked.

Harness racing is still a big part of life for Lee's family, but greyhound racing is fast overtaking it for Lee and the Shadlows.

Friday night's Million Dollar Chase night will further make that true.

Sid Core is named after the Shadlow's sons, Sidney and Corey.