Feral Franky is the darling of the greyhound racing industry right now, and he's in the chase to become a million-dollar dog.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The two-year-old brindle is trained by Forbes' Raymond Smith for owner Lyndall McIntyre and has won 15 of 18 starts since April.
He's rocketed to stardom in the industry thanks to a winning streak of nine races in a row.
Those successes included two Group 1 titles, the Flying Amy and the Vic Peters Classic, and the dogs' State of Origin.
Now a track-record performance at the Gunnedah regional finals has earned the dog a place in the semi-finals of the Million Dollar Chase, and he's heading to Wentworth Park on October 11 to seek a place in the finals.
Feral Franky only turned two in February, but his trainers Raymond and Maree have travelled thousands of miles since his career took off.
He's racing at Wentworth Park, in Melbourne and Brisbane regularly.
READ ALSO: Franky's chasing more Group glory
It's a good thing he's a good traveller, the Smiths say the cluey greyhound takes his place in the back seat and relaxes until they hit the traffic.
While his success is certainly worthy of attention, Smith thinks he also has a charisma that's winning the industry over.
The dog's name and his come-from-behind racing style attracted the attention of the commentators, and the fans love him.
Sky Racing's Dave Stanley described him as "one of the most popular greyhounds in Australia" and even travelled out here for a special feature with Smith and the dog he is calling "the king of Forbes".
So what makes "the Feral" so special?
The Smiths have enjoyed numerous successes in the greyhound game, training 2017 National Derby hero Big Daddy Bee, 2016 Golden Easter Egg runner-up Brad Hill Billy, and owning 2004 NSW Greyhound of the Year Irinka Barbie.
Franky's sister Solar Sky is also in the semi-finals for the Million Dollar Chase, she qualified with a third place at the Bathurst regional finals.
But Smith reckons yes, "the Feral" is something special.
"It's his will to win, his ability, his nature," he says.
"When you just don't think he can win, he does."