Greyhound racing: Champion greyhound Know Keeper retires

“It has been a fantastic three years and we are thankful for every minute of it,” reflected Garry “Crafty” Cleeve following the retirement of his champion stayer Know Keeper.

Know Keeper, or Kev (kennel name) as he’s often been referred to, reached racing heights that the majority of breeders, owners and trainers can only dream about.

“Kev had a minor setback and with age catching up with him we were starting to battle wee niggles with him. He has done a big job for us and we would hate to see him break down, so we didn’t hesitate to make the retirement call – we are fully satisfied and comfortable with the decision,” explained Cleeve.

Know Keeper reached dizzying heights when he was sighted reeling off a spellbinding series of high-class races, finishing his 95-race career with the second highest stakes tally won in this country beside his name at $343,416.

He won 45 of those races, while adding in 33 minor placings, and setting five track records along his journey.

Know Keeper’s staying record is truly impressive. He contested 50 distance events, winning 30 of them, while placing in another 14 races. $241,974 of his career stake earnings was secured in staying races.

Know Keeper was bred by Cleeve, raced by him with his partner Gaylene Turnwald and trained by Crafty. He was “adopted” as a pup by son Anthony, while raceday assistance was provided by daughter Sydney.

Kev was in effect a true family greyhound, who will now embark on the next phase of his career – being a stud dog.

Garry Cleeve has long been regarded as a breeder of his own racing stock, mainly using retired greyhounds from his kennels. He admits to initially starting his breeding and racing programme as a hobby.

The Cleeve clan certainly hit the jackpot with Know Keeper, as his sire Know Class and dam Know Jinx both enjoyed successful racing careers for them, including multiple staying race victories.

“Yes, over the years we have bred and raced a number of good dogs, however it took us 40 years to get one as good as Kev.”

As most of his mates know, Cleeve isn’t scared to have a decent punt on his greyhounds. He tells us about having a sizeable whack on Know Keeper when he made his race debut (5 October 2020).

“Kev won his qualifying trial in a quick time (295m in 17.26). We lined him up over 520m first-up and had a decent bet on him (paying $2). He got rolled (third) and we had a very conservative bet on him for his second start which he won, paying $7.

“My biggest collect on Kev came when I grabbed the $11 Futures quote he was offered at to run a place in the 2021 Auckland Cup (second).

“Know Keeper inherited the Cleeve box manners – which aren’t the best! However, he rose to another level,” added Cleeve.

Know Keeper was the subject of some serious big money purchase offers during his career. Cleeve firmly resisted all offers, correctly assessing that his value to his family was too much to turn his back on. And how correct he proved to be!

One of those offers came from the current northern tri-code commentator Aaron White, who recognized Kev’s potential as a stayer prior to him stepping up to distance racing.

“I was involved with a bunch of guys racing thoroughbreds. A discussion came up within the syndicate about the codes top races and I said to them the Silver Collar was the pinnacle race for greyhounds and I was asked to buy a dog who could win the race.

“I had identified Know Keeper as a potential stayer when I saw his Auckland Cup second (2021). I made a decent offer to Garry, who immediately turned it down,” recalled White.

Then, ironically 15 months after making his offer, White called his first Duke of Edinburgh Silver Collar final – the winner was Know Keeper!

“Yes, that was an exciting highlight for me and yes, the first five texts I got after Kev’s win came from the syndicate who tried to buy him,” chuckled White.

He also added, “Know Keeper was a shop window dog for New Zealand greyhound racing. Look what he did when Crafty stepped him up to staying races, winning 18 in a row and setting track records along the way.”

And speaking about track records, Cleeve makes the following observation.

“It’s a subjective discussion when comparing top class greyhounds from previous eras as opposed to today. To me, a measure is track records and for Kev to still currently hold four of those records does make him a standout greyhound. That is a source of huge satisfaction and huge pride.

Know Keeper’s track record-breaking spree includes Ascot Park 732m 43.11, Manawatu 660m 37.24, Manawatu 720m 40.93, Addington 732m 42.62 and his Addington 37.57m 645m joint track record, which has since been lowered.

Know Keeper attained C5 status, which he retained for the balance of his career, in his 15th raceday outing during the 2020/21 season. Along the way, he finished second in the Auckland Cup, then went on to win the Group 1 NZ St Leger, concluding his restricted age season by finishing second in the Group 1 NZ Futurity.

It was during the 2021/22 season where Know Keeper absolutely dominated his rivals. His first big assignment was winning the NZ Australian Nationals Middle Distance final, however owing to Covid-19 restrictions he was unable to take his place in the Group 1 Australian Sprint final.

15 November 2021 at the Addington Raceway over 645m was when Cleeve stepped Know Keeper up to staying races. It was from there where big Kev went on an 18-race staying winning streak.

He impressively collected five Group race titles, on five different tracks, headed by his potent Group 1 779m Duke of Edinburgh Silver Collar victory which he completed in a tidy 46.14.

At Group 2 level, he cruised to victories in the 720m Nancy Cobain, 732m Galway Cup, 732m Kingston Cup and the 747m Teressa McDonald Cup. He also annexed the trophies for the following feature events – 720m Matariki Distance, 732m Sockburn Cup and the 732m Ray Adcock Memorial.

And how’s this for an imposing stat – Know Keeper won on every greyhound track in New Zealand during the season, remaining unbeaten in all of his assignments over 700m plus distances while recording the season best 700m plus best staying times on all five tracks!

That complete dominance saw Know Keeper being the only stayer nominated for the 2021/22 NZ Stayer of the Year title. He was also awarded the NZ Bred Greyhound of the Year title, which all contributed to Know Keeper being deservedly named as the 2021/22 NZ Greyhound of the Year.

“Every time we put him out, he delivered for us. We spent a hell of a lot time on the road, travelling thousands of kilometers together – Kev always took it all in his stride,” stated Cleeve, who along with his mate and ‘co-driver’ Allan Johnson, was frequently sighted in all parts of the country.

“You were always wary when suddenly another plane arrived with Australian-bred stayers coming in. I was proud of how Kev stepped up to the mark against them,” reflected Cleeve.

The start of the 2022/23 season saw Know Keeper earning the right to represent New Zealand in the Australian Nationals Distance final at Sydney’s Wentworth Park. His campaign was impacted by tight MPI travel restrictions, therefore finishing fourth in the Group 1 720m event was a hugely creditable performance.

“Yes, it was a tough trip over there under the conditions. For Kev to finish fourth was a massive effort. We were very proud of him,” stated Cleeve.

On his return home, he successfully defended his Group 2 732m Galway Cup title on Ascot Park.

Manukau Stadium patrons ultimately witnessed Kev’s final career victory which came in his 779m Silver Collar heat. From there, he went onto finish strongly for his third placing in the $80,000 final.

When asked which race he considered was Know Keeper’s best effort Cleeve responded with, “I guess it was his 2022 Silver Collar heat win. He jumped that day and he ran away from them – it was a huge run.”

He admitted to feeling a degree of anxiety during the 2022 Duke of Edinburgh Silver Collar final when the other heat winner Thrilling Rogue set up a torrid pace.

“The final didn’t go to plan, as Thrilling Rogue put his best paws forward that day and Kev was stuck in midfield traffic after making a moderate start from box-four.

“Initially, I was thinking third prizemoney would be okay when he had trouble mastering the second dog and when got past him, I thought, okay second would be good.

“When he finished strongly to win the final, I felt massive satisfaction and huge pride. I hadn’t won any of what I consider the big three races (NZ Cup, Auckland Cup, Silver Collar), having run previous placings in them. Kev finally did it for us.

“To me, the Silver Collar is the pinnacle race and to finally win it brought me immense satisfaction.”

On a lighter note, Cleeve recounts this gem, which came during a RIB kennel inspection.

As all trainers are, during those inspections Cleeve was asked if he has an evacuation plan for his kennels.

Crafty didn’t hesitate when saying, “Firstly, I will evacuate Kev, then my wife and children, and then I guess the rest of the team can look after themselves!”

Cheeseburgers became an important part of not only Know Keeper, but also his racing team’s, post-race diet when they are all treated to a cheeseburger.

“He loves his cheeseburgers – he wouldn’t get out of the van until he got his. To this day, Kev still looks for his cheeseburger when we return from racing. Now, it’s a cheeseburger ‘plus one’ for the race team – he knows its burger time when we get home,” advised Cleeve.

As mentioned, Know Keeper is about to embark on a stud career.

“Over the years, we crossed our good ones in the breeding kennels. Kev now offers us the opportunity of being able to outcross with him. We are looking to start with Pearls Are Us and Not So Simple to start him off,” suggested Cleeve.

“We appreciate all of his competitors who fronted up to race against Kev – hats off to them, as often we would wonder if there would be enough nominations to make up a field.

“The race commentators added the colour to his races – they lifted it to a different level, adding excitement to his races. It is still emotional listening to and watching his race replays.

“We also acknowledge the great industry and public support that Kev enjoyed throughout his career. We say a big thank you to everyone who supported him – it has been a humbling experience,” said an appreciative Cleeve.

Enjoy your retirement Kev, you thoroughly deserve all of the glittering accolades that were bestowed upon you throughout your outstanding racing career!