Years involved in industry: 70
Category: Trainer
NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS:
- Trained over 800 winners (from 1927 until 1984)
- 1939 Waterloo Cup at Rotty Hill
- 1940 Waterloo Cup
- 1960 Australian Cup Quinella
- 1960 Lord Mayors Cup
Peter Reid’s training career began in 1927 and his long involvement in the industry was built on the love and support of his family, something that holds true today.
“Dad got interested in greyhound racing very early, his father was a bookmaker at the horses and his uncle had trotters but Dad was always keen on the greyhounds,” son Terry recounts.
Peter passed away in 2002 but on the night of his induction into the Greyhound Racing Victoria Hall of Fame, more than 50 people from his immediate and extended family were in attendance providing a profound insight into the commitment of the Reids as well as the respect they held for Peter.
“Dad taught us to be honest and upfront with everybody and never ever disgrace the sport or mum and dad, you’re out there representing your family he used to say,” Terry remembers.
Peter trained his greyhounds from his home in Murrumbeena throughout his career, a suburb 16kms South West of Melbourne.
Son Terry recalls the story of how his father came to be involved in greyhound racing and how he detailed that he was in a hurry going nowhere.
Peter was 19 when that all changed. He met a man by the name of Tom Heggart, a moment that Peter remembered as being the greatest moment of his life for many reasons.
“Dad was 19 when he first got into greyhound racing. He met a man called Tom Heggart who steered him in the right direction and he bought a dog off Tom called Handel.
“Handel was his first winner, but he said the best thing that ever happened in his whole life was meeting Tom Heggart’s daughter.”
The chance meeting with Roslyn, who was affectionately known as Rosie, led to 70 years of marriage and the pair having nine children together.
One the finest moments in Peter’s career is when he trained Meadow Vale to the 1960 Australian Cup. Peter trained the quinella in the race and also owned the second placed runner Fairs Orders.
“His finest moment was winning the Australian Cup, he talked about it for many years, and he didn’t own the winner.
“The owner (Ray Vowns) brought the dog over (weeks before the Australian Cup) and gave it a couple of runs at North Melbourne. After that he wanted to take the dog home (to Tasmania) until Dad said look, leave him with me, I think I can win the Australian Cup with it,” Terry said.
“The dog that placed second was a Tasmanian dog (owned by Peter), a man named Mr Morgan rang my father and said look there’s a dog for sale over here, they have to sell it, it would be good if you could buy it…and the rest is history.”