Chief Havoc (Australian)

In a class all his own, both as a racer and sire, Australia’s most legendary greyhound, Chief Havoc, was possibly the fastest performer ever to grace that country’s racing scene.

Whelped in New South Wales,  Australia,  “Pateles”  (as  Chief Havoc was named for his white coat with fawn patches) was purchased as a puppy by young Jack Millerd for the sum of eight guineas ($16.80) Millerd would enjoy a return of more than $100,000 for his original investment, as Chief Havoc would achieve the ultimate in excellence on the track and as a breeder.

In his second official start, Chief Havoc equaled the Grafton track record, the first of 19 track records he would equal or break in only 36 career starts. Racing at 15 different tracks, Chief Havoc boasted a career record of 26 wins, five seconds and two thirds. There were so few greyhounds considered in the same class as Chief Havoc that it soon became difficult to find starts for Millerd’s champion.

In one of the most colorful promotions ever attempted in greyhound racing, Chief Havoc was invited to attack all existing Harold Park track records in one solo run. A crowd of 17,000 saw him equal the 500-yard record and establish new standards for the 440, 660, 700, 7 50 and 800-yard distances-all in one race. The performance earned Chief Havoc front-page coverage in Sydney’s newspaper, and the overseas wire service carried the news to England and America.

As unbelievable as it may seem,  Chief  Havoc enjoyed just as prosperous a career as a sire. Today, most of Australia’s entire greyhound population descends from Chief Havoc, while more than half of the greyhounds in America are his descendants.

One of Chief Havoc’s sons, Rocker Mac, Tmp., was inducted into the Greyhound Hall of Fame in 1971, solely on his merits as a sire.