Jim Redenbach continued his dazzling winning strike rate last night when promising pup Shadale claimed his fourth straight win.
Shadale began fairly before showing great courage to clear the pack at the first turn. He went past early leader Tiggerlong Thief in the closing stages to win by 2¼ lengths in 29.75.
“I’m very happy him, who wouldn’t be?” said Redenbach following the win.
Owned by the Gebecepe syndicate headed by Redenbach’s brother in-law Geoff Lance, Shadale is yet two-years-old and natural improvement is expected.
“He’s still learning how to race, but I’m hoping he’ll be the best dog in Australia, just like everyone else would be with their dogs. He’s still a baby so we’ll give him time and see what happens. He’ll go back to Sandown again soon, he needs more experience. He’s clean winded he pulls up so well. It’s all up to him, I’ll do what he tells me. He’ll get better I’m sure.”
Redenbach boasts a very impressive strike rate at Sandown Park, over the last 12 months he’s won 24 races from 83 starts and has finished in the money on 51 occasions. With no more than four racing greyhounds in his kennel it’s a grand feat.
“They’re not very good – I don’t like losing,” laughed a modest Redenbach.
He put the impressive record down to hard work and knowing a greyhound inside and out.
“Hard work. Listen to the animal. You don’t run them over further journey than what they’re ready for – they’ve got to be conditioned and it takes a long time to do it. You’ve got to get close to them and be able to read what they do and what they’re feeling.”
A veteran of 54 years involved in the industry, Redenbach is positive about the current state of the sport.
“I actually think it’s good. I really do. In the past I think a lot of people who had greyhounds didn’t put as much time into them as they should, stuff like that is being policed very well at the moment. A lot of the things that happened back in day are gone.”
He holds great expertise and is passionate about upbringing of racing greyhounds.
“They need to be handled from a very young age, make sure they’re not frightened of anything. The earlier you educate any animal to anything is much better. When I break in my dogs they go from A to B. They don’t get to B until they do A right.
“Before they go chasing anything they need to learn what to do when in the boxes. That’s where they begin. You don’t want them crazy to chase until they jump out of the boxes a few times onto a squeaker. Once they come out of the boxes a few times they’re not afraid of them, they don’t scratch in there, that’s A. Then you get them to chase and do everything else after that.”
Although with many years of experience under his belt Redenbach says you can never stop learning.
“You never stop learning. When you’re fit you can do a lot of things, I’m a bit old now and it’s hard on me as I’m battling some health issues at the moment. But, I love the dogs so much.”
Click here for last night’s results
Shadale claims his fourth win on-the-trot
