Strutt Pinching Himself With Second Group 1

HE admits he has had to pinch himself from time to time, but 24-year-old Wagga mentor Jack Strutt, can now be referred to as a dual Group 1 winning trainer.

Just as he did back in November last year, Strutt and his staying bitch Stagger Out Lee hopped in the car and headed to Melbourne last weekend, and just as they did back then, they returned to the Riverina having beaten the best in the land, and won again at the elite level.

Back in November Stagger Out Lee – that night on the third line of betting – took out the Bold Trease at Sandown beating fellow NSW greyhound Cawbourne Magic. It was a different matter on Saturday, when as the extreme outsider of the field at $34, she took out the Zoom Top at The Meadows defeating local Moraine Suzie and Cawbourne Magic.

STAGGER STUNNER

STAGGER OUT LEE proved to be the superior stayer in the Group 1 @sportsbetcomau #ZoomTop at @MelbourneGreys

After beginning the race better than expected, the NSW superstar produced a tremendous show of strength to land her second Victorian Group 1 at huge odds pic.twitter.com/feHfE1qJPd

— WatchDog Racing (@WatchDogRacing) February 11, 2023

"You always think you're a chance, and I didn't really pay too much attention to what price she was, they're all the best dogs in the country, so I knew it would be difficult. I was pretty surprised with how well she went," Strutt said.

"To have won two Group 1s so early on in my career is just incredible."

Strutt has always had an interest in greyhounds but it was when COVID hit that he decided to give the game a serious go.

He was studying for a law, finance and economics' degrees at Wollongong University when COVID hit, which resulted in him returning home to Wagga.

"That's when I started training," he said. "I worked down in Victoria for a year with the Grenfells (Correy and Samantha). They train for Michael Finn (from Wagga) who has the Tiggerlong dogs, and we all get along really well, and I bought my first dog Tiggerlong Ginga from the Grenfells."

Tiggerlong Ginga, while long since retired to the breeding barn, has played a significant role in Strutt's Group 1s.

"Normally I take a broodie with her (Stagger Out Lee), Ginga, for a bit of company but she hadn't been able to come the last few weeks to Sydney and Brisbane," he explained. "I took her along on Saturday and she might be the difference. She went down with her (Stagger Out Lee) when she won the Bold Trease as well."

While it's almost time to start his studies again, Strutt is confident he will have plenty of time to continue along both his career paths.

"I'm actually going back to Uni in a couple of weeks. I've only got one semester left and it's pretty flexible so I can do that online and continue with the dogs.

Stagger Out Lee LAUNCHES and wins the 2022 Bold Trease Final! ? pic.twitter.com/nyiQiQSg2n

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) November 26, 2022

"I started Uni in 2017 and did a bit part-time, so it will have taken me about 6½ years to finish the six year course when I'm done then. I have to do an internship for four weeks and then once I graduate I will try and get my PLT (Practical Legal Training) out of the way and go from there."

Strutt, Stagger Out Lee and Tiggerlong Ginga will all head south this Saturday, again chasing another Group 1, this time in the heats of the Fanta Bale Super Stayers.