About Bernardo
KC and All x Surfonic - whelped 8 November 2015
Bernardo is the son of USA super sire KC and All, (108 starts with 74-14-4 record) and dame, Surfonic (Fear Zafonic x Surf Queen) a super quick and tough racer who was retired early and went on to excel as a brood bitch producing four outstanding litters.
Owned, bred and trained by Jennifer Gill and Doctors Kennels, the 34-kilogram powerhouse Bernardo, was a joy from the moment he was whelped and had a beautiful balance of attributes from both his parents.
“I bought Bernardo’s mother Surfonic as a 12-week-old pup, we reared her, raced her and when she came on season, retired her at two-and-a-half to breed with.”
It was the third mating, KC and All x Surfonic, that produced the super litter that saw every pup go onto be city class dog and include the amazing sprinter Bernardo, the highly talented Melbourne Cup finalist Degani, Sale Greyhound of the Year for 2019 Marcello, the super quick and strong bitches Miriam and Payton and Vic Bred Maiden Series winner Demanda Panda.
“Bernardo showed he had something special when breaking in but bad luck hindered him early on and in his first couple of starts he had bad boxes and the dogs around him virtually took him out at the start. Then he made his own luck and learned how to be a race dog.”
“In only his third race he got a start as a reserve in the VIC Breeder’s final at The Meadows out of box two, he showed what he could do, jumping cleanly by winning by two lengths over the highly rated Poke The Bear. Then he continued to learn how to race, how to use his blistering box speed and how to work his way in a field– he was a pretty clever dog.”
“The big indication of what he was capable of was in May 2018 in the final of the Harrison Dawson Gp1 at Sandown, the track had been harrowed three days earlier and Bernardo came out and ran 29.40. To put that run into perspective, the winner, Bewildering ran 29.34 – he is capable of running 29.00.”
“He had a lot of early pace, was an extremely good chaser, a natural with a very happy disposition and good kennel manners. The type of dog you dream of having on and off the track,” Jen said.