He’s not among the win leaders at Wheeling Island.

He’s not going to rip off four or five victories in a row.

Although far from a star, Fortunate Son is a greyhound who will give an honest effort each time he goes to the box. The Wayne Strong Kennel sprinter is a true blue-collar worker.

In 24 Grade AA starts this year, Fortunate Son has 3 wins, 8 seconds, 3 thirds and 4 fourths — a 75 percent mark on the pay sheet.

“Fortunate Son is a throwback … he’s old school. He’s a hard knocking, hard trying tough dog,” said Donald Burk Jr. of Texas, Fortunate Son’s owner. “While most fans like to see a dog win 10 in a row, he’s not going to do that. I know what Son is made of, but a lot of people don’t.”

Assistant trainer Ken Otto said Fortunate Son — a June 2005 greyhound out of Jimbo Scotty-Concerto — has flown under the radar since coming to Wheeling in April 2007 after opening his career at Valley Greyhound Park in Texas.

“He probably won’t steal many headlines at Wheeling, but he’s a nice, solid greyhound,” Otto noted. “He’s what I call a grinder, just gets the job done.”

In 45 Wheeling starts in 2007, Fortunate Son had 11 wins, 7 seconds, 3 thirds and 7 fourths. Overall, he has hit the pay sheet in 68 percent of his Wheeling races — a majority of them against Grade AA company.

“I knew Fortunate Son was a good dog when he went up to Wheeling from Valley, but I wasn’t quite sure how he’d do,” Burk said. “I thought he might be better suited for another racetrack because Wheeling is more of a speed track. So far, he’s held his own at one of the toughest tracks in the country.”

At Valley, Fortunate Son had 7 wins, 4 seconds, 3 thirds and 2 fourths in 21 starts. He moved up to Grade A in just six trips — winning Maiden by 8 1/2 lengths, Grade C by 10 lengths and Grade B by 2 1/2 lengths.

“He’s turned out to be a very dependable dog coming from Valley which isn’t as competitive as Wheeling,” Otto said. “I think he definitely was better than Valley when he broke in there.”

Burk feels the Valley experience had a positive influence on Fortunate Son.

“It gave him experience, a chance to get his feet under him and his confidence going,” Burk said. “Wheeling is such a tough place to break in a puppy. It can really be disheartening for a young dog if they open with three or four victories and then have to face Grade AA greyhounds right away.”

Fortunate Son doesn’t possess a lot of box speed, Otto related, but has “a big rush to the turn.

“He can hit it now and then,” Otto said. “When he does, he’s hard to beat.“

Several impressive efforts dot Fortunate Son’s resume — 8-length (twice), 6-length, 4 1/2-length, 3 1/2-length and 3-length victories. In all but one of the races, the sprinter rushed out to an early lead and never looked back.

Fortunate Son competed in the Wheeling Superstar Challenge in March, advancing to the semifinal round. After experiencing first round trouble and finishing eighth, he rebounded to win his second round race before running fourth in his semifinal trip.

“I am extremely happy with the way he has raced at Wheeling and very proud of him,” Burk said. “It’s nice to have stars, but dogs like Fortunate Son keep kennels going.“

None of Fortunate Son’s seven littermates have raced at Wheeling, but they have competed at other racetracks. They include Constable, Contraband, Convict, Famed, Piracy, Probation and Wager.

“It’s been a nice litter of dogs,” Burk, who bred and raised the group, said. “Fortunate Son looked like the best on the farm, but he wasn’t a complete standout.“

Once Fortunate Son’s racing career concludes, Burk plans to breed him.

“I want to see how he does,” Burk said. “I think he deserves a shot.”

IN THE

HOMESTRETCH:

PALM BEACH: Four former Wheeling greyhounds have advanced to Sunday’s semifinals of the $85,000 Palm Beach Grand Classic in Florida.

Van’s Escalade and Afleet Alex have a good shot of making the final while MJG Blu By You and Diligent have their work cut out for them in the semis. The final is scheduled for Monday afternoon, May 26 (Memorial Day).

The 16 greyhounds moving on to the semifinals and their point totals are: Starz Jenko, 36 points; Spanish Hammer, 31 points; Yahoo Homer, 29 points; Van’s Escalade and Flying Jojo, 25 points each; BI’s No Doubt and Joker Dodgem, 21 points;

Afleet Alex, Alivefortomorrow and Ballet Lady, 20 points each; JD Tommyboy, 19 points; Magic Blossom, 17 points; MJG Blu By You, 14 points; Tornado Ed, 11 points; Diligent and Midnight Mass, 9 points each.

HOT DOGS: Darren Henry Kennel’s Braska Isa has raced to three straight Grade AA wins for trainer Donna Wilcox. Kennel-mate BF Roseway has back-to-back 3/8 victories (C, B).

Steubenville Kennel’s Hallo Goosey Say has won three out of her last four Grade AA starts for trainer Debbie Schweizer. Kennel-mate Hallo Cruse Gold has three straight wins (M, C, B).

Arivada-Plum Creek Kennel’s Gov Kathleen has three victories in a row (D, C, B) for trainer Joe Otto. Kennel-mate David Bowie has back-to-back wins (B, A).

C And C Kennel’s P Nut Picker has two straight victories (A, AA) for trainer Patrick Bever.

Charter Kennel’s Silver Geico has two wins in a row (A, AA) for trainer Rodney Cooley.

Ryan Farms Kennel’s Kendra (A, AA 3/8), BOW Grasshopper (B, A) and Rural Saddler (C, B) have back-to-back victories for trainer Terry Green.

Lester Raines Kennel’s Kelsos Rum Cake has two wins in a row (B, A) for trainer Joel Roden.

A Ray Kennel’s AMF Dodge Lite has two straight victories (C, B) for trainer Joe Palmer.

Gable Kennel’s Gable Ringoffire has back-to-back wins (C, B) for trainer Wayne Piquette.

Flying Eagles-Miner Kennel’s Pikes Malibu has two victories in a row (C, B) for trainer Ricardo Piquette.

Thorne-Abrahamson Kennel’s MO’s Hammer Down has back-to-back wins (C, B) for trainer Tom Engle.

NIGHT OF STARS: Night of Stars XXI will be held on Saturday evening, Nov. 1.

Sponsored by the American Greyhound Track Operators Association, only one NOS program will be held this year.

Pawloski can be reached at sjpawloski@yahoo.com