Why not, Bazzar?

[Wandering Eyes]

The first thing you need to know about Why Not Bazzar is how to pronounce it.

It’s not ‘Bazaar’ – it’s ‘Bazza’. The dog is named after a mate of trainers Greg and Gail Carter of Devon Meadows, who happens to be 328 game AFL/VFL veteran and 1981 Brownlow winner, Barry Round.

The second thing, and probably the most unique, is that Bazza has recently clocked up 103 races, at the same track, over the same distance. Cranbourne, 311 metres; and familiarity hasn’t bred contempt, rather comfort.

Bazza’s record shows he’s experienced eight other regional tracks since his debut in January 2018, before settling in at Cranbourne. So why the 311m?

Greg Carter explained: “He can’t run much past it. He used to run at Traralgon over 395 and 315, and Warragul over 400, but then we took him to The Meadows one day and down the back he was leading by about six or eight lengths and once he got to the home straight it was like letting a balloon go. He had just expended his energy. So, in the end, 311 it is.”

WHY NOT BAZZAR – Fact File

• 5 years 1 month
• Won 42 from 125 (34%)
• In the money (top 3) 94 from 125 (75%)
• Won 32 from 103 over Cranbourne’s 311m (31%)
• Has had 90 consecutive starts over Cranbourne’s 311m
• Past 5 starts: 33233

For a dog that turned five earlier this month, he’s showing no signs of slowing down either.

“I thought a few weeks ago it might be about time (to retire him), but I brought him back and he’s had five placings since.”

“He’s physically pretty fit. I get him checked every week, and he has only had a bit of a back muscle problem at one stage, but time healed that and he’s back in action.”

Greg attributes his longevity on the track to his honesty.

“He’s just a good, honest dog that races against the top each week. He’s a brilliant beginner who gets on the rails and scrapes the paint all the way. He’s got $96,000 on the clock and I think his biggest win was $5000, so that’s pretty good for a short-course sprinter.”

“He’s got $96,000 on the clock and I think his biggest win was $5000, so that’s pretty good for a short-course sprinter.”

At home, Greg says “Bazza” is just a good dog.

“When I’m out there cleaning the yards, he just walks beside me. Just does what he needs to do.”

He’s ruled out breeding from Bazza though.

“He’s by Fernando Bale, which is in his favour, but you don’t want to breed from a dog that’s short-course only.”

When retirement does beckon, Greg says he’ll go to GAP and be a brilliant pet for someone.

Like his namesake, Why Not Bazzar will no doubt retire a happy, relaxed, and ‘honest’ champion.

WATCH: Why Not Bazzar (8) notches win number 42 at Cranbourne in November.

Why Not Bazzar with Greg and Gail Carter after being named the 2020 Cranbourne Greyhound of the Year, while Greg was announced the club’s Trainer of the Year on the same night.

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