Flying Penske

2013 Greyhound Hall of Fame Inductee

 

Nearly a quarter century ago, the American racing scene was blessed with an abundance of talented sprinters: It’s Aclevercatch, Kiowa Chippewa, Be My Bubba, Shata Vallie, JB Junior B and Kiowa Sweet Trey among them.

An equally elite group were those rare greyhounds who were just as much a threat against the country’s best—whether over 5/16 or 3/8 of a mile. At the top of the list of this special few was a black bundle of class, known as Flying Penske.

Bred by Flying Eagles Kennel, Penske was whelped in September 1997, the son of Oshkosh Racey and She’s A Natural. Penske was a chip off the old block, as his sire was blessed with this same ability to run sprint or distance. That multi-distance talent helped enshrine Oshkosh Racey into the Greyhound Hall Of Fame in 2001. The same could be said of Racey’s daddy, Unruly, who himself was inducted in 1988.

Now in 2013, Flying Penske joins both his sire and his grandsire, as an inductee into the Greyhound Hall Of Fame.

Penske, owned by Valor Sires Inc. principles H. Hal Gill and Vince Berland, prowled the national stake tour during his career, competing at seven different tracks in six different states. In his maiden year, he captured the $50,000 Kansas Bred Sprint.

As a 4-year-old veteran two years later, in 1991, Flying Penske won the $25,000 Kansas Cup over the 3/8-mile at the Woodlands, setting a new track record of 36.68 while qualifying and again with a 36.48 in the finals.

Between those stake wins, Penske toured the country, competing from Florida to New England, then back to the Midwest. He ran second in the 1999 $40,000 Great Kansas Shoot-Out and the $10,000 Kansas Cup. In 2000 he finished third in the American Derby, fourth in the Hollywood Classic and fifth in the Wonderland Derby, after going undefeated in his trials. His career record against the best in the land, while constantly switching tracks and distances, was a sparkling 65-22-16-8 in 131 starts.

Yet Flying Penske’s most lasting contribution to the Sport of Queens was yet to come. To date, Penske-sired pups have garnered a half-dozen All-America Team trophies, with the likes of two-time recipient Tiger Boy, Nimby TP Jan, Kay V Tatoo Tony, NMS Sweet Thing, and Hi Noon Hero. They’ve also captured a Rural Rube Award (with Tiger Boy) and two Flashy Sir Awards (with Nimby TP Jan and TK Quick Strike).

Even more impressive is the next generation of Flying Penske descendants, who (to date) have also won six All-American awards, two Rural Rube Awards and three Flashy Sirs. This generation includes Rural Rube Award winner and All-American captain Bella Infrared (who was sired by Penske’s fine-producing son Kiowa Mon Manny) and Flying Coal City, who swept all three major honors in 2011: the Rural Rube, the Flashy Sir, and captain of the All-American team. Other award-winning Penske grandpups have been Flupascrackerbox (an All-American who also won the Flashy Sir), Boc’s Blast Off (a Flashy Sir Award winner last year) and All-Americans AMF Ex President, SH Avatar and Kiowa Wish Frank. Four of the last five Flashy Sir Award winners, three of the last Rural Rube Award winners, and three of the last All-American captains have all been Flying Penske descendants.

There have been countless other outstanding Penske descendants not yet mentioned—Kiowa WW Brother, Djays Octane, Pat C Clement, SE’s Jet Fuel, Brother Buck, Venus Espinosa, Turbo Penske, Turbo Lennie, to name just a few.

Penske has been a perennial Top Five-ranked sire for the last nine years, his reputation continuing to expand with each passing year. In the early going of 2013, he even led the Sire Standings for the first time ever—despite having passed away in November 2006.

Penske’s many fine-producing sons and daughters will guarantee that the Flying Penske legend, as well his posterity, will continue to flourish for generations to come.