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The late Johnny Biehle wasn't one to boast or tout young greyhounds.
After getting the pups track-ready at his Texas farm, Biehle would let the greyhounds do the talking on the racetrack.
One exception was Silver Jones.
"Johnny didn't brag much, but the last time I talked to him I knew I had something special," Charter Kennel trainer Rodney Cooley said. "Silver Jones was one of the last dogs Johnny finished for us."
Biehle had an eye for talent and he was right about Silver Jones, a February 2006 greyhound out of Dodgem By Design-Fuzzys Jasmine.
In the final of the $50,000 Wheeling Holiday Sprint Championship on New Year's Eve, Silver Jones rallied in the stretch to catch frontrunner Super Lee near the finish line and earn the $20,000 top prize. Super Lee (C And C Kennel) pocketed $10,000 for his runnerup finish while Mulberry Gus (Majestic Kennel) rounded out the trifecta ticket and won $5,500.
Completing the final field were Braska Cando (Darren Henry Kennel), fourth, $4,500; San Tan Nomemory (Majestic Kennel), fifth, $3,000; Freya (Ryan Farms Kennel), sixth, $3,000; WW's Green Apple (Wayne Ward Kennel), seventh, $2,000; and Bella Alexander (Keota Kennel), eighth, $2,000.
Cooley was ecstatic over Silver Jones' stake victory.
"I've won stake races at other tracks but when you win one at Wheeling you are running against the best. It's quite an honor winning at Wheeling," Cooley noted. "It was a very talented field and it was anybody's race. If the same eight dogs ran eight times, a different dog might win each time."
From the rail out, the post positions for the final were: 1--WW's Green Apple, 2--San Tan Nomemory, 3--Mulberry Gus, 4--Freya, 5--Silver Jones, 6--Braska Cando, 7--Bella Alexander and 8--Super Lee.
Due to the lack of blazing early speed in the final, at least four greyhounds including Silver Jones had legitimate shots of going to the front early. Most trackside observers felt Super Lee would be able to rush to the top from the eight hole.
"Looking at the draw, I saw Silver Jones coming out in the top three," Cooley said. "The five hole didn't bother me because of the open space between the four and five boxes. When Silver Jones breaks decent, he comes straight out."
When the box opened, Mulberry Gus came out first just ahead of Freya and Silver Jones in the middle of the track and Super Lee on the outside. As the frontrunners neared the first turn, Silver Jones bolted past Gus on the inside as Super Lee came down from the outside after a power rush to the turn.
"Silver Jones broke as good as I had hoped and then accelerated to the turn," Cooley said. "I knew Super Lee would be rushing hard from the outside. When Super Lee came down, he cut right in front of Silver Jones."
At that point, Silver Jones flew wide as Super Lee seized the lead.
"I said oh, no, when Silver Jones shot wide in the first turn, but the next thing I knew he was back in the race," Cooley said. "His quick recovery saved him."
Firing past Mulberry Gus and WW's Green Apple as they hit the backside, Silver Jones set his sights on Super Lee who had a couple lengths on the field.
Around the final turn, the stake turned into a two-dog race between Super Lee and Silver Jones. Just as it appeared Silver Jones would go by on the inside, he jumped to the outside.
"Turning for home I thought Silver Jones had him but then he lost all his momentum when he went outside," Cooley said. "Luckily he was able to come back and get him near the wire."
Silver Jones wouldn't be denied in the stretch as he came back again to catch Super Lee a few yards before the finish line. The champion, who stopped the clock in a swift 29.97, finished a half length in front of Super Lee while Mulberry Gus was another length behind.
Braska Cando, who topped all qualifiers for the final with two wins and a second in the early rounds, mounted a late, furious rush to finish fourth just 2 lengths behind Silver Jones.
"A pretty gutsy race for a baby," Cooley said in describing Silver Jones' effort. "He was very determined just like his daddy Dodgem."
Sent to post as the third favorite behind Super Lee and San Tan Nomemory, Silver Jones paid $12 on a $2 win wager. The 5-8-3 trifecta returned $575 while the 5-8 perfecta paid $145.
"It was an exciting race to watch," Racing Director Ben Travis said, "I didn't think that any of the late speed closers in the race would be able to pick off the frontrunner but Silver Jones ran a terrific race."
Silver Jones had a win and a second in his first two qualifying rounds before finishing eighth in the semifinals after getting closed off in the far turn. Going into the stake event, he had three wins and two seconds in his last five races.
"He wasn't my first choice for the stake, but he was probably the most consistent dog in the kennel. He was peaking and maturing at the perfect time," Cooley said. "I always thought he was a quality pup. Now I feel even better about him."
There's no doubt Johnny Biehle was watching and smiling from up above.
"I think Silver Jones won it for Johnny," Cooley said. "We dedicated this win to Johnny."
IN THE HOMESTRETCH:
NO MILLION: The third annual Derby Lane Million has been canceled, according to an announcement earlier this week.
"It is with deep regret that I have to announce the cancellation of the Derby Lane Million Dollar race," said Derby Lane COO David Tiano. "We did not have enough entries to move forward with the race that was scheduled for March 1, 2008."
The Derby Lane Million was open to any greyhound in the world that was registered with the National Greyhound Association in America.
Several Wheeling-based greyhounds were expected to compete in the Derby Lane Million.
On Wednesday, Charter Kennel's Primco Mayes, TK Quick Strike and BI's Never Late arrived back in Wheeling after making the trip to Derby Lane.
Another Million entry, Flying Eagles-Miner Kennel's Go Bon Outasite, was injured in his first schooling race at Derby Lane -- ending his brief career.
HOT DOGS: Mike Fynmore Kennel's Escrow Officer has won three straight Grade AA races for trainer Brandon Grizzle.
C And C Kennel's Van Do has three Grade AA victories in a row for trainer Patrick Bever. Kennel-mates Whistler's Gift has three wins and a second in his last five outings while Speedy Trent has back-to-back victories (B, A).
Majestic Kennel's CS Bosco and Sirius Drive have won three out of their last four Grade AA 3/8 starts for trainer Joe Otto. Kennel-mate Millennium Drive has two wins and three seconds in his last five Grade AA 3/8 trips.
Charter Kennel's Ugo Lonesome Boy has back-to-back Grade AA victories for trainer Rodney Cooley. Kennel-mate MJG Blu By You has two straight wins (A, AA).
Steubenville Kennel's Kiowa Vasquez has won two Grade AA 7/16 races in a row for trainer Debbie Schweizer.
Gable Kennel's Gable Hannah was back-to-back Grade AA victories for trainer Wayne Piquette.
Flying Eagles-Miner Kennel's Flat Out Uma (A, AA) and Flying Wheeling (B, A) have two straight wins for trainer Jay Hawkins.
Arivada-Plum Creek Kennel's Lick Of Sense has three straight 3/8 victories (D, C, B) for trainer Donna Bumbaugh. Kennel-mate Rico's Sylvia has won three out of her last four 3/8 races (C, B, A).
Douglas Kennel's KB's Best Buy has won three out of his last four outings (M, C, B) for trainer Jim Roche.
Wayne Ward Kennel's Pal WW Wendy has two wins and a second in her last three trips for trainer Ron Otto.
Keota Kennel's Thagomizer has back-to-back victories (B, A) for trainer Louise Strong.
Sarras Kennel's FTK Africa has two straight wins (C, B) for trainer Steve Sarras.
Pawloski can be reached at sjpawloski@yahoo.com