GREYHOUND breeder Norm Smith has officially hung up the Hession Boots with the greyhound retiring from racing.
The official retirement of the four-year-old signified his knack to continue persevering despite the challenges ahead of him during his tenure on track.
In his first start at Cranbourne, Hession Boots almost ended his racing days when he crashed into the running rail and peeled back the skin on his shoulder, requiring 34 stitches.
Fortunately, he didn’t damage the muscles underneath, and he was soon ready to go again.
Speaking to The Guardian, Smith said Hession Boots was a great racer and would become a better companion.
“He won 31 races (from 128 starts) and sadly, they don’t last forever,” he said.
“We have had to retire him but he raced for two-and-a-half years; we have been lucky. He is better than the average dog by a long way and it makes it sad to see him retire.
“He made a great racer and now he will make a wonderful pet, which is what will happen to him. He will stay with us for a while and then head to a greyhounds retirement program.”
Boots started off in short races, until trainer Rod Clarke quickly decided that he needed longer distances.
Hence his entry in the heats of the CRU Jones Classic maiden over 600 metres at the Meadows in March 2014. He won his heat and backed up with a win in the final of the event 10 days later to launch a very fine career.
His next win was at Horsham – a track at which he won eight races – five over 570 metres, and three over the shorter journey of 480m.
Up to the end of 2014, Boots scored four more wins at the Meadows over the 600m, three more at Horsham over 570m and two on his home track of Bendigo over 660m. Two of the Horsham wins were in the GRV VBIS Distance heats and final.
After a break of two months, Boots returned to the winner’s circle on January 20, 2015, when he won over the 480m at Horsham, and followed up with a surprise win at the Meadows over 520 metres.
Two 650 metre Shepparton victories followed in March – his first at that track after quite a few tries.
He had a lean spell until May, when three successful trips to Ballarat saw him win twice over 545 metres and once over 660m where he ran a super race.
Hession Boots got his first win of 2016 at Horsham in his 100th race, going over the 570m distance on March 1.
After a couple more lead up races, he tackled the big time at Sandown Park over 595 metres and finally broke the Sandown hoodoo.
Hession Boots had several more starts, but trainer Rod Clarke said he would tell him when he had had enough of the race track, and the day finally came after the Bendigo meeting on November 23, 2016.
Overall, Hession Boots started in 128 races, for 31 first placings, 17 seconds and 11 thirds.
