Neil’s grandson Jack Ryan and his mate Declan Cooke, with Neil in the middle. The two dogs are Nikki Bonkers and Isla Bonkers, they came first and second in the Dubbo maiden final last year.
Yass Greyhound Trainer Neil Staines celebrated a memorable night at Wentworth Park on Thursday, November 13, 2025, landing a winning double and a runner-up from his small team of greyhounds.
Staines’ brace was spearheaded by the seasoned campaigner Pure Silver in the Race 3 Ladbrokes Sports Bar (520m) and the promising young bitch Royal Bandit in the Race 9 PBD Ladbrokes Blackbook 1-3 Win (520m).
The victory with Pure Silver, who clocked a 30.10, was a personal triumph for Staines, who owns the dog.
The reliable veteran began only moderately but unleashed his trademark devastating finish to surge past the leaders in the lane. Speaking on the consistent veteran, Staines said, “Pure Silver is just a professional. He can come from anywhere if he gets out of the lids, alright. He’s just a dog that you would like to have ten in your kennel like him. He’s not a champion, but he’s there every time he turns up. Dogs like him are the sort of dogs that keep us afloat.”
The night’s second success came courtesy of the exciting prospect, Royal Bandit ($5.00), who stopped the clock at 30.09.
In a performance that lit up the evening, the young bitch flew the lids and posted a brilliant early split of 5.52 to the first mark—the fastest of the entire meeting by a clear margin on a night where most winners began in 5.60 or slower.
From there, she showed immense heart to hold off the challengers and score convincingly on her debut at headquarters. Royal Bandit’s win also marked a continuation of Staines’s new working relationship with the powerhouse Clover Park Racing syndicate, headed by Andy and Jodie Lord.
Royal Bandit is one of the dogs Staines now trains for the team, and the young gun showed immense heart to claim her race.
“It was good to go down there and get one winner, let alone grabbing two and a second,” Staines remarked, reflecting on a successful evening which also saw Bandit Blaze, litter sister to Royal Bandit and another from the Clover Park Racing team, run an excellent second in Race 11.
“I’m delighted with the way she ran.”
Staines shed light on the partnership, noting the influence of the Lord family. “I’ve recently joined the Clover Park Racing team with Andy and Jodie Lord. It’s been great. It was an option put to me probably five months ago, so it has been in the pipeline. We have just started and got it back together, and things are going good – touch wood!” he explained.
“We use our own facilities; they provide the dogs. They have got some of the best broodmares about, so it’s a great opportunity for me.”
Among Clover Park’s standout broodbitches are champions like the recently retired She’s A Pearl, a black bitch whelped in October 2019 who amassed 39 wins and over $1.77 million in prizemoney before heading to the breeding barn in 2023.
Known for her blistering speed and Group 1 triumphs, She’s A Pearl (by Aston Dee Bee out of Sheike) is already producing progeny with immense potential, blending her elite racing traits with top sires. Other notable Clover Park broodbitches include Coast Model, dam of Royal Bandit and Bandit Blaze (by Feral Franky), who has consistently thrown fast, resilient litters suited to middle distances.
Staines will now have access to pups from these lines, as well as others like those from Fernando Bale crosses that Clover Park has successfully bred and auctioned, ensuring a steady influx of high-quality young talent to his kennel.
The Rise of Royal Bandit
The trainer is particularly excited about the potential of his new charge, Royal Bandit, a greyhound he feels has overcome early adversity.
“She’s come back very strong after falling in her first start; she won the start after and has run some really nice races,” Staines commented. He noted that the Wentworth Park circuit didn’t pose any issues for the youngster. “It didn’t worry her at Wenty, and she’s never been there. She will only improve on that. We do think she will run sub-30 easily.”
Discussing her track manners and inexperience, Staines added a caveat that is common for young dogs tackling the city track for the first time: “Royal Bandit is going to be half handy later on. When you go to Wentworth Park, you have got your L Plates on for at least three or four runs.”
He believes she is still learning her trade, noting, “When she won her first one, she led; she jumped straight to the front. In the second start, when she ran second, the dog got up on the inside of her and pushed her off a bit, and being young and inexperienced, she dug in well, but she would have had a bit of a think here and there, and she was a bit weary because of the fall before.”
Staines suggested that box draw and racing style played a part in her early troubles. “I think she likes it out a bit wide, just watching her traits racing. I think that might have been what got her unstuck in her first start. She had the one box, and I think she just wanted to get out where she felt comfortable and got clipped.”
For now, her future seems tied to the 520-metre distance. “At this stage, it looks like 520 will be her limit. She will get a bit stronger and will improve, but how much we don’t know yet. But she’s only a baby, so we’re going slowly.”
A Lifetime in Greyhound Racing
The success on Thursday night is a timely boost for the veteran trainer, who has been training dogs for over two decades. “I’ve been training here 20-odd years,” he confirmed. He acknowledged the cyclical nature of the industry and the recent run of better fortune. “We have had a pretty tough six months, but things are starting to look up.”
With 14 dogs currently in work, Staines is optimistic about his kennel’s next wave of talent, a group that includes those sourced from the highly-regarded Clover Park Racing team. His active roster features a mix of veterans and up-and-comers: the reliable Pure Silver, who continues to anchor the team with consistent efforts; Watchmaker, another stalwart that’s kept the kennel afloat over the past year with strong middle-distance form; Royal Bandit and her litter sister Bandit Blaze, both showing early promise from Clover Park lines; Canya Be Lucky, a versatile chaser who’s had mixed results but flashed speed in recent trials; Cawbourne Maxx, a recent winner at Goulburn on October 29 with a sharp 25.12 over 440m; Cawbourne Rio, set for an upcoming start at Temora on November 19 and known for his rail-hugging style; Cawbourne Zeke, a tough competitor in sprint events; Dirt Bike Bandit, building fitness after a spell; Galba Stacey, who notched a gritty win at Goulburn on November 14 in 20.05 over 350m; Kim’s A Rebel, a young prospect with raw pace; Pocket Raider, reliable in lower grades; Sea Of Fusion, showing improvement in recent workouts; and a couple of unnamed pups in early education phases rounding out the 14.
“These young ones we’ve got coming through are some of our best ones. We’ve got some nice young ones, but Pure Silver and Watchmaker are the dogs that have been keeping it together for the last 12 months. And we have got some young ones coming along that are going to step up to the plate.”
Staines knows there’s no single recipe for success in a sport where greyhounds are individuals. “Every dog is different. Some dogs enjoy work, while others don’t. Some dogs like looking at different tracks, and some dogs don’t. They are all trained differently,” he noted. He also understands the challenge of training greyhounds provided by another group.
“The dogs have been educated and graded pretty well. They are graded when I get them, so I pretty much know what I am getting. Instead of starting from day one with them, I’m pretty up to date with what the dogs are doing before I even get them. A lot of work goes into them before they come to me.”
In a tough game, he is relishing the win. “It is a very hard game, it’s not far from the penthouse to the outhouse!” he mused. But with promising young talent like Royal Bandit and the reliable form of dogs like Pure Silver, Staines’ kennel appears to be on a definite uptrend.
– Tully Potts
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