Harley Whelan’s remarkable rise through the greyhound racing ranks has been recognised, with the young trainer named the Ned Bryant Silver Fox Award recipient at Friday night’s Victorian Greyhound Awards.

What began as a hobby has developed into a successful breeding, rearing and racing operation, with the Whelan family continuing to produce their own greyhounds under the successful Lakeview prefix.

For Whelan’s close mate Ned McDonald, it is the family’s ability to succeed across every facet of the sport that makes the recognition particularly deserved.

“There’s only a handful of people in the industry that do breeding, rearing, breaking, training – that do the whole thing,” McDonald said.

“For them to do it at the level they do it, they’re very deserving.”

“The way that they’ve come through the ranks in the sport is just incredible for being such a young age.”

The past 12 months have provided further evidence of that progression.

From 384 starts, Whelan’s kennel produced 97 winners, with 215 starts resulting in a top three finish – an impressive 25 per cent winning strike rate and 56 per cent place rate.

At the forefront of the kennel’s success was Lakeview Emily, who competed in 10 Group races across Australia, claimed the Shepparton Cup and placed in four Group 1 events.

McDonald remembers the Shepparton Cup victory particularly well.

“One thing I remember pretty good about Harley was when he won the Shepparton Cup with Emily,” McDonald said.

“He gave me a hug and a high five that bad my hand still hurts and my eyes nearly popped out of my head – he squeezed me that hard.”

Lakeview Emily’s interstate campaign also helped forge a relationship with RAM Racing through The Sandgroper, eventually leading to a partnership for a slot in The Phoenix.

Their significant investment in a state-of-the-art kennel facility in Sale represents another major commitment to their future in greyhound racing and their belief in the sport.