Trojan Hoarse retired to stud
Last Friday night’s race meeting at Hatrick Raceway was tinged with sadness, as the curtain came down on the career of Trojan Hoarse, the beautiful brindle with brilliant box speed.
The son of Fernando Bale and Ocotillo won 69 races from 157 starts and placed on a further 48 occasions, and he amassed $260,157.50 in prizemoney.
Trojan Hoarse, who turns five next month, had been racing in open class grade since the start of October 2019, and remained there until his retirement, such was his amazing level of consistency.
His first Group One success came in the 2019 edition of the New Zealand Derby, when he caused a major upset at $30.40. But the elite-level victory was no fluke; he went on to win the Group 1 NZ Breeders’ Stakes in June 2019, the Group 2 Dash for Cash in December 2019, the Group 1 Galaxy Sprint in November 2020, and the Group 1 Railway Sprint in March 2021. Remarkably, a year prior to winning the Galaxy and Railway Sprints, he also made the finals of both races.
Along the way, he received coveted accolades. He has twice been both Sprinter of the Year and New Zealand-bred Greyhound of the Year on points, and he is again a finalist for Greyhound of the Year for the 2020/21 season – the third time he has been a finalist for the top honour.
Brendon Cole, husband of trainer Lisa Cole, confirmed that Trojan Hoarse will now stand at stud.
“He will obviously get used by us, and hopefully some other people come along as well,” said Cole.
“He was a freak of a dog. He had unbelievable speed, and his ability to put himself in front of any dog in any field was second to none.
“The best thing about him was that he never ever had injuries. He was one of those super sound dogs, so light on his feet, like Little Mother and Hifi Allegro, who also never got injured. I don’t know how to describe it, he was like fairy dust on the ground! He was just one of those dogs that everyone’s looking for.”
Cole was also full of praise for the dog’s temperament.
Trojan Hoarse has been retired to stud.
“He’s unbelievable. You can walk him around on a piece of cotton,” enthused Cole. “He’s so quiet, so relaxed – he’s brilliant at home. The minute he got to the track, he was still quiet, and the minute he got into the boxes, it was completely different story – he was all about the race.
“He was a real professional, the perfect dog. I compare him to Hifi Allegro and Little Mother, because of all of the top dogs we’ve had, they were perfect; they’d eat, sleep, and race. They wouldn’t expend any unnecessary energy whatsoever.”
Trojan Hoarse’s owner, Craig Rendle, paid tribute to the Cole team for the longevity of the greyhound’s career.
“The whole kennel team and the Cole family are legends; so professional and so hard-working,” he said.
“To have a dog nominated for Greyhound of the Year for three consecutive years was just super special. I don’t expect he will win this year’s edition either, despite winning the same two Group Ones that Buddy Boom did last year, but equally, I can’t think of another greyhound to have ever been nominated three times.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing his pups hit the track in the future, as his box speed was outstanding, and as a son of Fernando Bale and being a four-time Group One-winner, he’s going to be an attractive sire choice.
“Following his sire duties, I’m really looking forward to him taking up his spot on a couch. He’s earned it.”
