Emma Pritchard

One of the most prolific dogs trained in the Clarence Valley, Rushforth Ally brought his best form to the Grafton Greyhound Racing Club on March 17, trouncing a quality field over 350m in Race 4 on the program, the Valley Protective Services Free For All, to record a dominant victory and set a new track record.

Stopping the clock at 19.52 seconds, Rushforth Ally obliterated the previous track record held by the speedy Cash Master by .12 seconds.

Sent to the boxes the shot priced favourite, Rushforth Ally, a three-year-old fawn dog by Aston Dee Bee, was backing up an impressive triumph on his home track earlier this month when he scored an impressive win following a strong on-pace performance on March 3 over 450m.

Trained locally by Desmond Winters, Rushforth Ally began brilliantly from box 7 and promptly took control of the race inside the opening 100m from Carramar Drive and Lady Virgina and accelerated quickly as the field turned for home, charging to the line to win by close to four lengths from his nearest rival.

With close to $60000 in prizemoney, Rushforth Ally has raced 45 times for 19 wins and 13 minor placings.

In 2023, Rushforth Ally became the first greyhound to qualify for the semi-finals of the $75000 Thunderbolt, the richest race in the world over 350m when he won his heat in a smart time of 19.90 seconds.

He went on to run second in the feature event, beaten 2.5 lengths.

The Grafton Greyhound Racing Club will host their next race meeting on March 24.