Strutt Has Spring In His Step Ahead Of Bold Trease

THERE'S a T-shirt in the Paul Strutt household at Springvale near Wagga that carries the wording “Strutt In, Stagger Out”.

On Saturday night at Springvale in Melbourne, the Strutt family of Paul, wife Leanne, and son Jack, will put that T-shirt to the test when Stagger Out Lee gives them their first taste of Group 1 racing in the Bold Trease (715m) at Sandown Park.

Springvale, NSW, is a five-hour drive to Springvale in Melbourne, the home of Sandown Park.

The entire family will load into the car to take Stagger Out Lee (My Bro Fabio-Parrydise Star) for her Group 1 bid after she came from near last early to sweep to victory in her heat of the Bold Trease last Saturday night in 41.78.

Jack, 24, trains the bitch for his dad and he relates the T-shirt story with fondness.

“The T-shirt wouldn't fit dad these days, but it is still in the house somewhere,” said Jack.

“It was the T-shirt he would wear to the pub. It became a favourite and he decided to name his dogs Stagger Out something from then on.”

Stagger Out Lee was bred by Scott Parry.

“We had a straw to My Bro Fabio and used it on Scott's bitch,” said Jack. “We got three bitches from the litter at three months.”

Stagger Out Lee was 16 months old when she was sent to Victoria for Jack to pre-train and start racing.

“I was working at the time for Correy and Samantha Grenfell and she came to me to get ready for racing,” said Jack.

“She didn't show much at first but needed time. It was all a confidence thing with her.

“And it took about 20 starts and a switch to longer distances before she started to get that confidence.

“She was terrible out of the boxes at first, but once over more ground she started showing something.

“We kept her in low grades building her confidence. She won three in a row at Wenty in July and it was then we knew she was going to get her chance at some big races.”

Stagger Out Lee ran third to Super Estrella and Zipping Kansas in the state final of the National Distance in August.

Stagger Out Lee and Emani Bale storm home ahead of the red-hot favourite and book their spots in next week's Final! pic.twitter.com/9sPYLVVkbc

— Sandown Greyhounds (@sandowndogs) November 19, 2022

“But, when she broke the Wagga 760 metre track record, we knew it was time to give her a chance in another big one,” said Jack.

That was at the start before she went to Sandown for the heats of the Bold Trease last week.

Of her chances in the Group 1 finale on Saturday night, Jack and his family are well aware of the evenness of the final field.

“Moraine Suzie is the one to beat obviously,” said Jack. “She can come from anywhere in the box draw so the eight will not worry her.

“Our bitch had the eight in her heat, but we cannot complain about her having the red in the final.

“She does have early pace. It's a very open race.”

The five-hour trip to Sandown is no worry for Stagger Out Lee.

“It's the same to Wenty,” said Jack. “She is a lazy bitch and just lays down and goes straight to sleep.”

Jack admits he was on an instant learning curve while working for the Grenfells.

“They have 80 dogs in work and you pick up something every single day,” he said. “I was there at the end of Tiggerlong Tonk's career and for dogs like Yozo Bale.”

Of Stagger Out Lee's future after the Bold Trease, the Sale Cup is a plan and so is the Newcastle Cup, with the Xmas Gift a back-up.

“She is nicely bred and from the Tiggerlong damline so we will breed with her in the future,” he said.

But for now, Stagger Out Lee has a pressing Group 1 commitment on Saturday night and Paul, Leanne and Jack will pile into the car for the five-hour trip and a bid for Group 1 glory.

Their hope is that they “Strutt In” to Sandown, and “Stagger Out” with a Group 1 trophy.