The 83-year-old Gooloogong trainer produced three winners at the Forbes greyhound track on Tuesday for the club’s Melbourne Cup meeting, taking his strike rate of runners to winners well over 90 per cent.

The Melbourne Cup day ‘trifecta’ led Forbes Greyhound Club secretary Dennis Booth to proclaim Reg’s strike rate at the track as the best he has come across in all forms of racing.

“He averages two to three wins every time he comes to Forbes,” Dennis said on Tuesday after calling Reg’s third win with Penny’s Pick.

Reg and his wife Pearl have been bringing dogs to Spooner Oval since 1996, when Reg switched from training racehorses to greyhounds.

Reg’s strike rate is due to four dogs – Happy Feelings (winner of race four on Tuesday), Spanish Rose (race six), Penny’s Pick (race seven) and Donna Carina, which didn’t run this time.

“It’s ironic that he also had a horse called Happy Feelings, which didn’t go too bad either,” Dennis Booth said.

Dennis said the 10-race Melbourne Cup meeting was well supported and was pleased with the response, after a recent meeting was cancelled.

Punters had a good day, particularly in the last race, won by the well-backed Hypo Lady.

Reg Barnes also had luck in Tuesday’s 100 Club, winning second and third prize after Temora trainer Bill Schwenke was drawn out first.

Peak Hill’s Darryl Stone won the raffle.

A full report of the Melbourne Cup meeting will appear in Saturday’s Advocate.