If you were in or around the Shepparton area on Monday night you may have heard a loud roar coming from Kialla racettrack.
Those cheers where for local greyhound My Name’s David and his owner and trainer Alan Ferguson, after the duo won a heat of the Group 2 CKH Painting Shepparton Cup (450m).
“When he won his heat on Monday night there were about 100 people barracking and cheering for him in the crowd,” said trainer Alan Ferguson, who lives in Girgarre.
“This is my home cup; my home track and it’ll be great to represent the Goulburn Valley. It means the world to me.”
Not since Thorgil Tex in 1994 has a local greyhound won the Shepparton Cup, and My Name’s David is the only local to make Saturday night’s $47,000 to-the-winner final.
Ferguson has lived in the Shepparton region most of his life and trained greyhounds for the past 20 years, but this is the first time he has entered a greyhound for the Shepparton Cup.
Bred by Shepparton Greyhound Racing Club Manager, Carl McGrath, My Name’s David will jump from box three in a race which fastest heat winner Zoom Out is the TAB favourite at $2.40.
Zoom Out is undefeated at Shepparton in seven starts, and she is also the reigning Shepparton Matchmaker winner – a series she won in March from box eight.
Although a tough field, Ferguson believes My Name’s David is a winning chance.
“His best asset is his mid-race speed and he likes inside draws so box three suits him. He ran two lengths off Fernando Bale’s track record at Bendigo (over 425 metres), so he could surprise a few people,” Ferguson said.
My Name’s David is rated an $8.00 chance with TAB.
PICTURED: My Name’s David crossing the line in his CKH Painting Shepparton Cup heat win on Monday night.
