Litter mates gaining ground on elders in Winter Chase

By Isaac Murphy

There were two heats of the Listed Winter Chase last Thursday night, but it only took one kennel and one litter to win them both.

Ray and Mary Burman’s Paw Licking/Bizarre Barbie brothers Big Boy Bruce and Techno Hornet the are the latest in a long line of Burman dogs who run multiple distances, and will be hard to roll in this week’s final.

Big Boy Bruce - a Free For All winner over the 520, 600 and 710 - got things rolling, with a big win from off the pace after Pump It broke the first section record, and Mary Burman was quite taken with the performance.

“It was one of his better wins,  he was six lengths off down the back straight there and got to them in time - I was most pleased to see him break thirteen in the run home, he’s still getting stronger,” Mary Burman said.

“It was a near impossibility to lead Pump It when it came out and broke the first section record, we were forced to come from behind when he’s normally the one who jumps on the hare - he showed us he’s not a one trick pony.

“The way he’s starting to race is becoming more and more suited to the 600, he can usually lead from any box and now he’s getting the run home to stay away from them.”

Techno Hornet was once the quiet achiever of the litter but has exploded as a middle distance model of consistency in the last few months, running another personal best last week.

“It was a landmark for Techno Hornet as well breaking thirty-five (34.96) for the first time, that’s what he needs to be running to be competitive in Listed grade,” Mary Burman said.

“He was the slow and steady one in the litter early on, I think it was accentuated a bit because Dynamite Lucy, Blue Diva and Big Boy Bruce got to the track so early  but he’s catching the fast, win number ten last week and up over $60,000 in prize money.”

The 600-metre start can bring a lot of dogs undone, but more often than not Big Boy Bruce and Techno Hornet have used it as an advantage with their box manners, and Burman is hoping they can just avoid each other early.

“Both dogs have shown they can offset a wide draw from the 600 start, I actually think Techno Hornet prefers it out there,” Burman said.

“If we could get one near the fence and one out wide that’d be ideal, it’s every trainer’s nightmare thinking they’ll come together early.

“It’s a really good race that’s going to come down to who’s best on the night, there’s no absolute standout.

“There’s a lot of dogs than can run a similar time, it’ll be a tough race but one we can win off last week’s form.”

Mary Burman said the Winter Chase could be the start of a busy stretch for the kennel mates, who are both winners over the 710 and will get another shot at the staying trip after this week.

“I don’t know whether Techno Hornet will be an improver over the 710, but I think Big Boy Bruce has a future there,” Burman said.

“We’ve been watching his run homes closely and I think he could make significant improvement.

“We’ll put both of them in the Dashing Corsair, Hornet will still give a good sight out in front and I think Big Boy Bruce has a genuine chance to make the final - he’s a fit as he’s ever been.

“If they go alright in the Dashing Corsair, they probably earn another chance in the Queensland Cup a bit further down the track.”

Between Big Boy Bruce, Techno Hornet, Blue Diva and Dynamite Lucy, the siblings have fifty-seven wins and over $250,000 in prize money at just over two-and-a-half years old, but they’re still chasing racing royalty from Bizarre Barbie’s last litter.

“It’s been a remarkable litter; they had big shoes to fill with the previous Barcia Bale/Bizarre Barbie bringing us Champagne Sally and Magic Hornet, who I still consider our best two bitches ever but as a team they’re right up there win and prize money wise,” Burman said.

“I don’t think any of them will be as brilliant on the clock as say Champagne Sally who still holds a number of track records, but as a committee of four they’ve just been brilliant for us.”

The Burman’s have a history of producing greyhounds who can at the very least run a strong five hundred and often beyond, but remarkably the line started with a bitch who struggled to get the sprint trip.

“We’ve always prided ourselves on having strong 520 metre dogs who can step up, and that all started with a bitch called Up and Down who I put to Sir Florian and produced Techno Man - a Hume Cup in Melbourne over 700 metres when the mother could hardly get 500,” Mary Burman said.

“Skinny Magic was a bitch out of that litter who never ran a race, but we bred with her and got Bizarre Barbie who has been our brood bitch for the last five years.

“It goes to show once you get a good brood bitch and start a line, it can hold up a kennel; don’t get me wrong you still have to know how to train them, but having some ability is a head start.”

While the Paw Licking/Bizarre Barbie clan may be the litter of the day, the Burman’s are always working on the next crop with plenty of exciting pups on the way.

“We’re in a pretty good place with the kennel at the moment with six Bizarre Barbies, five Magic Hornets and nine Champagne Sally pups all at different stages,” Mary Burman said.

“There’s plenty to do at home with getting them ready to race and we’re lucky enough to have our staples like Big Boy Bruce and Techno Hornet who go around in open company every week.”