Blazin’ Master goes out in a blaze of glory
Peter Fenemor • July 14th, 2025 11:08 AM • 3 min read
A true professional canine athlete is the most apt description of the now retired consistent greyhound Blazin’ Master following his 50th career victory at Cambridge last Thursday.
The Lisa Cole prepared Blazin’ Master concluded his outstanding career by doing what he does best – grinding his rivals into submission when he led throughout for his freewheeling 39.14 650m win.
During his career Blazin’ Master was loaded away into the starting traps on 143 occasions, and he was placed on top of the podium in 50 of those races. He also attended the minor sides of the podium 55 times.
Those races yielded his Victorian owner Angela Smith with $360,838 in stake earnings with all except $20,005 of that being won in New Zealand. His NZ winning stakes places him third on the all-time New Zealand stakes table.
And it was also from the Cole’s Palmerston North based kennels where the two-highest New Zealand greyhound stake winners were mentored from.
Federal Infrared won $400,808 (55 wins), while Little Mother accumulated $377,751 (85 wins) in stakes.
“Blazin’ Master is an amazing professional greyhound. He did everything we asked him to do without hesitation.
“He was recommended to transfer to our kennels following a racing indiscretion that happened in Victoria (2022). Once he requalified Blazin’ Master carried on racing without a single racing blemish,” commented Brendon Cole.
Blazin’ Master raced and won on all New Zealand tracks, except Ascot Park where he never raced.
He won two Group 1 races, the 2023 New Zealand Derby (457m) at Cambridge and the 2024 Auckland Cup (527m) at the Manukau Stadium
He was the runner-up in five Group 1 races – the 2023 Spion Rose Cup and the 2023 New Zealand Cup both behind Federal Infrared.
And kennelmate He’s All Go led Blazin’ Master home in the 2024 Hatrick Classic and the 2024 Waterloo Cup. He was the runner-up in the 2023 South Island Champs behind Opawa Superstar.
Blazin’ Master was also the victor in the following feature races - 2023 Manawatu Cup (457m), 2023 City Of Palmerston North Golden Chase (457m) and the 2024 South Waikato Cup (457m).
The October 2020 whelped son of Mepunga Blazer and Mepunga Molly is a member of very handy eight-dog litter. The litter was bred by Victorian breeder George Farrugia, who successfully races the 650m/660m specialist Johnny Football from the Cole kennels.
Combined the eight litter members have won $1,033,658, the result of 116 wins between them. Korda, raced by Angela Langton, won the 2023 edition of the Group 1 Sandown Cup (715m), while Farrugia successfully raced litter members Multi Matt (18 wins) and Scofflaw (14 wins).
“Blazin’ Master was always going to be retired when he reached 50 wins. He retires 100 percent sound, and he deserves his retirement.
“He was a very versatile greyhound as seen by his record on various tracks and over various distances. He’s such a consistent greyhound with a brilliant temperament. He was an absolute delight to have in our kennels,” expressed Cole.
Blazin’ Master has already commenced life away from racing with the Cole kennel worker Sarah Calkin, who handled Boom Dynamite to his recent Group 1 New Zealand Futurity win, taking him in as Cole explains.
“Sarah always said to us that she wanted Blazin’ Master as a pet when he finished racing. It was her birthday on Thursday, and I said to her, ‘here’s your birthday present – Blazin’ Master is now your pet’. He will make an awesome pet!”.
