Ninetymile King and Bianca Whitford walk away from the industry

By Jordan Gerrans

Just as popular Queensland greyhound Ninetymile King officially walked away from the race track on Wednesday afternoon, so did his trainer.

The 21-time career victor ran his last race at Capalaba’s straight track on Wednesday, finishing just over a length behind the winner in best eight grade, to display that while he was nearing retirement, he still could mix it with the top dogs.

And, as “King” finishes up at the track, his long-time trainer Bianca Whitford will follow him out of the industry.

The former Victorian-based Whitford certainly made an impact on the code in the Sunshine State in her stay, claiming the Brisbane Trainers Strike Rate Award at the 2021 TAB Queensland Greyhound awards ceremony.

Whitford and partner Chris Johnson have sold their Coominya property that they trained their kennel from and are in the final stages of moving to Cairns.

While they will still be in the game as owners, they will completely step away from training to live on the northern beaches area of Far North Queensland.

“We need a bit of a change – there is a few health issues and stuff – and we got an offer on our place,” Whitford said on Thursday morning from Cairns.

“We would have liked to give it a couple more years to run the pups through that are coming up but we thought we would take the plunge early and enjoy it.

“It was never our plan to be in the dogs long-term, we were thinking to do it for five to seven years, and we have been doing it for three years now.

“But, this offer came in and it was the right time to take it so we can enjoy life for a little bit.”

It was a fitting end to the career of Ninetymile King on Wednesday, running his last race where he competed in his first, where he won on debut back in July of 2020.

He amassed $113,710 in career stakes from 59 starts.

The 366 grass strip at Capalaba was a favourite of ‘King’s”.

He ran in the top two on 14 occasions from 20 efforts, with a personal best time of 19.78 seconds up the straight.

King also thrived in the city, as well.

He had an 80 percent strike-rate around the 600 metre circuit at Albion Park from 10 tries.

While King was still running well of late, he was not at his brilliant best that he showed for a long period time and that was enough for Whitford to make the tough call to retire their kennel star.

King always gave 110 per cent on the race track, which is what stands out the most to Whitford when she reflects on his career.

“He has done more than enough for us,” she said.

“He has been an absolutely fantastic dog and we could not ask for anything more from him.

“The time is right for him to put his feet up on the couch.

“He just never gave up and I think that was him, no matter where he was, he just had a will and a want to win.

“He never lost that attitude throughout his career, even after the bad Achilles injury, to come back from that, he never gave up.”

The 600-metre specialist at Albion Park fought his way back from a serious injury in the middle stages of his career.

He was flying through the back end of 2020 and into the following year before an unfortunate Achilles tendon injury cut him down as he was reaching his peak.

At one point, the black dog put seven victories in a line.

Breeder, owner and trainer Whitford feared her kennel star had run his last race, concerned that his Achilles complaint would force an early retirement.

Six months on, following surgery in Victoria, “The King” was nearing his top form again – running quicker times than ever before.

The Listed Carnival Chase of 2021 stands out as the greatest victory of his career to Whitford.

“He had his streak going at Albion Park in the heat and he got beaten and ran second,” she said

“He came out in the Final and won really well.

“In the heat he got a bit of a whack and he did a brilliant effort to get through that and then in the Final he did not get a clean run but he showed a lot of heart to push out to the line and get up in the end.”

But, that was not Whitford’s favourite triumph of his career.

That came down at Capalaba in a heat of the Straight Of Origin series earlier this year.

“He was literally last with 10 metres to go and he flew through the middle of the pack to poke his nose out on the line to win,” she said.

“That was not his biggest win but it would be the one that stands out as my favourite.”

King has his retirement life sorted already, set to enjoy days on the couch and walks on the beach in Cairns.

He will be sent to a friend of Whitford’s to adjust to home life in the coming weeks before heading to FNQ once they are settled in.

“He will go on some beach walks with us and the pet dogs and he will enjoy his time, he certainly deserves,” she said.

A litter from King’s mother My Superstar with Fernando Bale is not far from hitting the track.

Whitford and Johnson will stay in as owners for that bunch and they will go to a soon to be confirmed kennel in South East Queensland.

Ninetymile Queen - who is a sister to King – is another from their kennel who is showing promising and will be prepared by another trainer in the near future.