THE phone has not stopped ringing in the Dennis and Ann Barnes household at Cudal.
The couple have been inundated with offers to buy boom youngster Nangar Larry (Shima Shine-Nangar Diva) which on Saturday night heads to Dubbo to contest the Bill and Peg Miller Memorial Final (516m) worth $20,000-to-the-winner.
Nangar Larry made everyone sit up and take notice when he won his heat in 29.35 last weekend and Dennis says three offers “worth a lot of money” was the result.
FIELDS AND FORM DUBBO SATURDAY NIGHT
Dennis’ wife Ann trains the dog, her first venture back into training for “10 or 15 years”.
Nangar Larry is unbeaten in two starts having won at Temora in 25.72 on May 5 on debut.
And, while Dennis says “everything is for sale” those huge offers were knocked back because the Barnes family knows just how good Nangar Larry is.
“Everywhere he has gone, he has run time,” said Dennis. “He is very exciting.
“The boys told me after the race last weekend that he ran a second section record at Dubbo.
“His run to win the heat was phenomenal and better than most of the dogs in the top grade heats of The Brother Fox.”
But Dennis is reluctant to rate him the best he and Ann have raced.
“It’s early days and wait until he gets in among city dogs before declaring him that good,” he said.
Box draw: 1 She’s Tempting, 2 Nangar Nellie, 3 Miss Mcgraw, 4 Toxic Label, 5 Nangar Larry, 6 Spring Whiskey, 7 Nangar Lane, 8 Nangar Lucy. Res: 9 Crackles Street, 10 Irinka Daniel.
Dennis rates Nangar Larry’s litter sister, Miss Mcgraw, owned by he and Ann’s daughter Sandra and trained by Jack Smith, the hardest to beat.
“She has a very big future as well,” said Dennis. “She is very strong at the finish.”
Of his other finalists, Dennis rates Nangar Lucy very promising as well but says her box eight draw does not suit.
“Nangar Nellie is not as quick early, but she is the best boxed of ours in the two,” he said.
Dennis thinks so much of Nangar Larry he has returned dam Nangar Diva to Shima Shine for a repeat mating.
“We’ve got a very nice kennel of promising young dogs at the moment, probably the best overall group we’ve had in 50 years of training,” he said.
“I talked Ann into putting a couple in her name as a trainer for the first time in 10 or 15 years,” said Dennis.
“Then she went and picked Nangar Larry, the best of them.”
Winning the race would hold added significance for the Barnes’ with Ann the daughter of Peg and Bill Miller who the race is named in honour of.
Immediate plans are for Nangar Larry to head a small team to Albion Park for the upcoming Group 2 Flying Amy Classic.
“We will take them up for a trial on the track and see how they go,” he said.