Greyhound owner Con Dimopoulos has had a dream run of late with Peter Yap, a greyhound he purchased for the bargain price of $4,100 at Greyhound Racing Victoria’s 2016 Ready 2 Race Sales.

After running second to in the group listed Northern Districts Cup (450m) at Shepparton earlier this month, the Ray Henness-trained Peter Yap followed up five nights later with victory in last Thursday night’s Ready 2 Race Championship (515m) at Sandown Park, an event open to the top eight earning greyhounds from the 2016 R2R sales.

His recent purple patch of form has seen Peter Yap earn $19,000 in his past two starts, taking his record to five wins, 19 minor placings and $29,265 in prize money from 30 starts.

“I’ve had a lot more fun owning greyhounds than I have owning race horses. As a greyhound owner, you can pat your dogs and walk them on a lead and get to know them.”

Dimopolous, a business banker who lives in Essendon, is loving the ride.

“I’ve owned a few good race dogs over the years and I’ve also part-owned three or four race horses in my time. To be honest, I’ve had a lot more fun owning greyhounds than I have owning race horses. As a greyhound owner, you can pat your dogs and walk them on a lead and get to know them, so there is a lot more direct involvement compared to owning horses,” he said.

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WATCH: Peter Yap wins the $18,000 Ready 2 Race Championship last Thursday night. RESULTS

Dimopoulos’ first attended GRV’s Ready 2 Race Sales in 2015, when he purchased Eddie Yap, a greyhound who won 18 races from 50 starts and $32,000 in prize money.

“I went to the Ready 2 Race Sales two years ago with limited knowledge about what to look for in a dog to buy, but that’s where I met Ray Henness. He identified Eddie Yap as a greyhound to bid for, and he turned out to be a pretty handy dog. Last year we asked Ray to buy us another dog for us and he bought Peter Yap for $4,100. I’ve spoken to Ray again, and he’s going to keep an eye out for another dog for us to buy on Saturday.”

The Ready 2 Race heats were conducted at Bendigo today, with the greyhounds to compete again from 12pm on Saturday morning before going to auction at 3pm on Saturday afternoon.

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Peter Yap and Ray Henness with Sandown GRC directors Neil Brown, Todd O’Neill and CEO Greg Miller after winning the 2017 Ready 2 Race Championship. Photos by Paul Munt.