Real Huntsman

Real Huntsman made his debut at Daytona Beach in the summer of 1949 -the second year of the reign of Beach Comber as monarch of the greyhound racing world.

The youngster’s brilliance even as a pup made it apparent that he was destined ultimately to take over the throne as successor to the Paul Sutherland star. By the end of ’49, the Randle Brothers’ ace was dueling Beach Comber for the headlines at Biscayne and had defeated the champ twice.

Real Huntsman started his drive toward the 1950 national race-winning championship at Flagler after running third behind Dolphin and Beach Comber in the Inaugural. He came on to capture the $3,500 Flagler Futurity; ran second to Trim Trick in the Flagler Derby; and defeated the Hollywood star, Chartman, twice by six-length margins in special two-dog match races. His 1950 Flagler record was 21-10-3-4, plus the two match races which he won.

Returning to Biscayne, Real Huntsman captured the All-Florida Championship, and three times defeated the aging Beach Comber in the latter’s quest for his 100th win. The Huntsman’s spring record at Biscayne was 13-9-2-0.

He subsequently won the Daytona Beach Inaugural and Derby; went 10-for-10 at Taunton, Mass., scoring a sweep of the $25,000 Taunton American Derby, Blue Ribbon and Gold Collar events. He defeated Mahomet, the Raynham Derby winner, in a match race; won the $5,000 Phoenix Open with a 3-for-3 record and wound up the year by annexing the Biscayne Inaugural.

His overall record for 1950 was 63-46-5-4. By the end of the year, he was well along on his famous winning streak, which totaled 27 straight victories before being broken in 1961.