| This poem on Ray Gatti was written in 2006 RAY GATTI
By OWEN EDMONDS Well he hails from round the Glasshouse
Near the mountains steep and tall
And he comes to us with knowledge
Of the longtails big and small
He's been in dogs for many years
With class above the average
Well known to every trainer
As the legend Raymond Gatti In greyhound racing circles
He appears to be a rogue
But that is just a furphy
As most of us would know
And just to know the secrets
And the tricks that he's forgot
Would help the average trainer
Improve his little lot Ray's partial to a coupla drinks
On a steamy summers day
And a word or two on how things are
Would never go astray
But when he speaks about the past
It pays to lend an ear
If you do you'll learn a lot
About the bygone years And what about the stewards
He keeps them on their toes
Running late for pre-race swabs
As a catcher he's no go
As casual as a sleeping dog
No rush, no haste, no worry
They'll wait for me, he always says
I'm in no bloody hurry And as McGrath so surely found
While inspecting Gatti's kennel
Questions asked without a sound
Was hard for Steve to handle
So in Steve got with Gatti's dog
And asked the hound a few
And Steve told Ray he'll tell me more
Than I'll ever hear from you Does Call Me Roscoe ring a bell
A champion Gatti reared
Two Qld Cups, a trophy race
Twice greyhound of the year
And it was claimed the best damn dog
That Gatti ever owned
And after celebrating wins
The dog would then drive home But now that Roscoe's left the scene
Much to Gattis sadness
Ray still has a racing team
And the traffic scene is madness
He travels far and many miles
To race the team he's got
And the car seems to find its way
On automatic pilot Yes, he has run foul of the boys in blue
And gave the sergeant lots
A tad above the limit
After winning at the trots
Spent the night in the local cell
With the sergeant thereabouts
Got his hands on the sergeant's book
And ripped the pages out Well, come the morn, he'd done his time
So he summoned Reggie Kay
Come get me out of this damn hole
Before I go astray
And so Reg did as Reggie would
Bailed Gatti from that cell
And the sergeant said in temper
Take the bastard back to hell Ray's always had a handy crew
In his kennels throughout time
The Coonowrin dogs were but a few
Bred on Gatti's line
He gives an average dog a go
And treats them as his own
By day they roam the forest
And at night he brings 'em home So if you like to hear a tale
Of dogs in years bygone
Just attach him to your ear
And let him ramble on
Classic yarns is what you'll hear
Of his capers and exploits
I'd like to put it all in verse
But my papers running short So with respect to one good bloke
A man whose seen it all
Small in size but big in heart
No hurdles are too tall
I'd give him praise for what it's worth
An award without a fear
A rough cut diamond that's for sure
But legend of the year
| 
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