NORM McCullagh didn't particularly want to buy a greyhound.
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The Warrnambool trainer was having his greyhounds checked over when Ned Bryant asked if he was interested in a pup.
McCullagh reluctantly agreed. He hand-picked two.
One wasn't suited to racing. The other turned out to be legendary stayer Bold Trease.
McCullagh, a lifelong greyhound man with roots stretching back to childhood, began the ride of a lifetime.
It's hard to believe people still talk about (Bold Trease) after 30 years.
- Norm McCullagh
Bold Trease won four-consecutive Sandown Cups, a Victorian National Distance Championship, an Association Cup, a Navy Day Trophy and a Coca-Cola Distance Final in a sparkling five-year career.
"It's hard to believe people still talk about him after 30 years," McCullagh told The Standard.
"He had his first start at Warrnambool. He was six lengths behind the pack and ended up winning by six.
"He was a strong dog. He had a big heart and knew exactly what he was doing."
Bold Trease, affectionately dubbed 'The Warrnambool Warrior', shaped as a major part of McCullagh's legacy.
Greyhound Racing Victoria inducted McCullagh into its prestigious hall of fame last week, recognition for his lifetime dedication to the sport.
"I was told my granddaughter was playing in a concert (at Crown Palladium), and I said 'oh, I can't go'," McCullagh said.
"She was ringing up and saying 'you've got to come!' so we went down.
"I got in there and saw a couple of old blokes I knew having a cup of coffee in the lobby and I said 'oh jeez, you must have a couple of grand kids playing in the concert as well'.
"They looked at me stupid. We went in and somebody said 'it's been 35 years since Bold Trease's last cup'. Half an hour later, I realised what I was actually there for."
But the 79-year-old's ability to keep training group winners - the latest in July with Crimson Vixen - may be his lasting mark on the sport.
Crimson Vixen's Bendigo Cup victory in July capped a stellar year for the McCullagh kennel.
The fawn bitch, by top sire Barcia Bale and Weeping Lass, qualified for the group one Sapphire Crown and ran third in the Warrnambool Cup.
"She's turned out well," McCullagh said.
"I've had a fair few reasonable dogs in the kennel over the years.
"I have 10 young ones down there at the moment. They're all by Barcia Bale so they're very well bred. He's throwing everything at the moment - you can get a stayer or a sprinter out of his pups."
The legendary trainer, based out of Mortlake Road, revealed he was passionate about rearing pups and watching their progression to full-time racers.
"It's not what you've got racing at the moment, it's what you have in the garden," McCullagh said.
"If you didn't have them pushing up you might think 'I'll have a spell'.
"It's a bit like the under 16 kids playing football. You watch them and think 'they'll be a good player when they're in seniors'.
"It's the ones in the yard that keep you at it."
That philosophy has kept McCullagh committed since childhood.
His father had greyhounds and it peaked Norm's interest. It's an interest McCullagh has passed on to his son, Allan, who helps condition and feed the dogs.
Allan also handles and boxes the greyhounds at the track.
"It's carried on from there. I've had them right through my life. I might have had a couple of years off when I got married in the '60s but that's it," McCullagh said.
"I've had some good times. I remember in the early '50s we had a dog down there. We sold him and I got £200 (today $8,673AUD). It was a record price for a dog at that time.
"Galmist was his name. An old bookmaker bought him. It was in the old Sporting Globe days.
"I remember the headlines reading 'Record price given for Warrnambool dog'."
Warrnambool Greyhound Racing Club manager Craig Monigatti described McCullagh as a trailblazer for other south-west trainers.
"We seem to punch well above our weight in the grand scheme," Monigatti said.
"It's probably some recognition for Norm in that he paved the way for others going to compete at the highest level."
McCullagh is the second south-west greyhound personality to feature in the hall of fame behind Mepunga breeder Barry Smith.
McCullagh wasn't looking to buy when Bold Trease fell into his lap all those years ago. But the pride he shows when speaking of the stayer's legacy says it all.
It's been the ride of a lifetime. And it isn't over yet.
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