Lasting Legacy: Coyle's ‘Angel' From Above

AROUND the turn of the century, Jim Coyle decided to relocate his family to NSW after a long stint living around the Beenleigh area in Queensland.

It also heralded Jim's decision to get back into greyhound racing. He'd had a dog or two when he and the family originally lived in NSW years before.

“Kent Strongman was getting out of dogs because he needed a back operation,” said Jim.

“He had a giveaway bitch called Dos Santos and I decided to take her on. No one else wanted her.”

The daughter of Big Ginger Boy-Jet Perfect was from the famous Gravel Rash damline.

Gravel Rash was her third mother.

“She was a beautiful white and red brindle bitch, a really good nature and went about 29 kilos,” said Jim.

“She won a race at Wentworth Park (beating Evelyn Harris' star bitch All Display the winner of 25 races).”

Dos Santos raced 41 times for seven wins and eight placings, her other wins coming at Moss Vale, Richmond and Gosford. With a record like that Jim reckoned he should breed a litter.

“I wanted to put her to Addis Boy but everyone at the time advised me not to,” said Jim who went ahead anyway.

Last Friday night, Jim watched an “awesome” performance by Whiskey Riot (Fernando Bale-Ready To Riot) to win the Group 1 Melbourne Cup at Sandown.

Last year, Jim was at Wentworth Park to witness Mystic Riot (Barcia Bale-Ready To Riot) land the inaugural Million Dollar Chase.

Dos Santos is their third mother and there was no prouder than Jim Coyle watching those thrilling victories in the world's two richest greyhound races.

“I got Punk Angel from that Addis Boy-Dos Santos mating and she was something else for me as a broodbitch,” said Jim.

“She only died last year at 13 and a half. Her mother Dos Santos lived to 14 and a half.”

Punk Angel (12 wins) became a broodbitch star.

Her progeny included Good Odds Angel (27 wins, $133,000), Good Odds Bricky (21 wins, $90,000), Your Shout Punk (26 wins, $55,000), Funky Punk (13 wins, $53,000), Good Odds Demon (19 wins, $44,000) etc.

In all, Punk Angel's direct offspring have won 246 races and $750,000 in stakes.

Punk Angel produced one of her litters to Collision.

“I was rearing them out at Frank Hurst's property and when they were about eight months old, Frank asked if I would sell a bitch to Colin Bermingham,” recalled Jim.

“I didn't really want to but Frank said Colin was such a nice guy and he wanted to get into the line.

“I sold him Ready To Riot for about $7000.”

Jim kept Evil Punk from the litter and he proved a racetrack star winning 15 races and $82,000, but so did Ready To Riot who was a fast and multiple winner at Wenty and also won at The Meadows.

She has become something of a broodbitch legend.

While Mystic Riot (12 wins, $1.056 million) and Whiskey Riot (17 wins, $620,000) are the standouts, she is also the dam of Group 1 winner Blue Sky Riot (11 wins, $157,000), Fernando's Riot (12 wins, $66,000) etc etc etc.

Such is her success in fact, Friday's Melbourne Cup victory by Whiskey Riot catapulted her progeny's earnings to $2.1 million from 144 race wins.

When Mike Baird and Troy Grant, along with the faceless bureaucrats behind the scenes, decided to ban greyhound racing in 2016, Jim Coyle decided it was time for him to scale down.

“I loaned out Punk Da Punk and Funky Punk but still get pups from all their litters,” he said.

“Funky Punk is the mother of Don't Mind Me and I have a couple by Collision from her that are showing great potential."

In what now can be looked back on as something as an omen, Coyle won the first two races at Richmond on Friday, just hours before Whiskey Riot's Melbourne Cup heroics.

Bar The Punk (Collision x Funky Punk) and Steely Eyed Punk (Fernando Bale Punk Da Punk) were both impressive maiden winners on the program.

Then on Sunday at Dubbo, the freakishly talented Don't Mind Me took out the Versatility Final for Charmaine Roberts in another near track record run over the 516 metres, a week on from lowering the middle distance time-standard.

“Originally I insisted on getting only dog pups from the litters' those bitches produced, but recently I picked up a bitch by Fernando Bale from Funky Punk.

“Yes, she will be bred with by me down the track. She is just four months old.”

The success of the Dos Santos branch of the Gravel Rash damline is too huge to list here but suffice to say Mystic Riot and Whiskey Riot have thrust it into the highest of highs in recent times.

“When the ban came, I tipped down the sink about 200 vials of semen for Evil Punk,” said Jim.

“Now everyone is ringing me looking for semen from him. It's all gone.”

Jim Coyle turned 67 just three days before Whiskey Riot turned certain defeat on the home turn in the Melbourne Cup into a dramatic victory.

“When Mystic Riot won the Million Dollar Chase I was stoked, but to see Whiskey Riot win the Melbourne Cup … that was awesome.”