First starter Rosales scored an impressive win for Portland team Nicole Stanley and Nifty Lenehan in Sunday’s Cadillac Racing Maiden Stake (400 metres) when defeating another first starter in Gypsy Chick.

A May 2021 whelping by Bernardo out of Boomer Hargen, Rosales chased Gypsy Chick until the home turn where she took a rails run before going away to a four length win in 23.44 seconds.

But, according to Stanley, Mount Gambier’s leading trainer in 2017, there had been a time when it had been touch and go whether the litter would even survive given that the dam had been sick leading up to the time of whelping.

“I still remember going into the whelping area five days before the litter was due to whelp and seeing this pup, still alive, lying on the floor,” she said.

“So it was straight off to Terang where the litter was delivered by caesarean – and weren’t they tiny little weeds!

“In the end, though, we did pretty well with nine pups surviving. But I have to say it had been a real struggle for the first three months as they were required to be hand-fed.”

By the time the pups had reached 10 months of age Stanley had a “maybe” assessment on them. But two months later she reckoned the worst was over. Later, Red Cliffs educator Rod Millington’s breaking-in report was promising.

With the pups, given their lack of size, initially resembling Chihuahuas, Stanley said she had turned to Mexico for the racing names for the litter.

“With Rosales being one of 67 municipalities of Chihuahua in northern Mexico that is where the name came from. All the pups in the litter have been named after one of the municipalities.”

She said they were now considering another litter – maybe by Tommy Shelby – with Boomer Hargen. The daughter of Barcia Bale and Punk Rock Lass traces back to Brian Lenehan’s legendary producer Sydney Gem.

Mind you, as far as Stanley is concerned, things are pretty full-on these days. As if training greyhounds and working full-time is not enough she’s also just over half-way through a law degree.