Greyhound racing made a return to the heart of Melbourne on Monday with the Australian Cup box draw held at Zinc by the iconic Yarra River.
The Monday lunch was a glitzy event attended by the who’s who of greyhound racing, including trainers of each of the dogs in the Australian Cup field, officials from GRV and The Meadows, Victorian State MP for Broadmeadows Frank McGuire and Melbourne Storm Rugby League coach Craig Bellamy.
The draw opened with My Redeemer landing box two, shortly before Dyna Patty secured the coveted box one.
Expert tipsters George Farrugia, Jason Adams and James van de Maat spoke of the open field that awaited The Meadows on Saturday night but it was a consensus that the great Tornado Tears was the one to beat for the Fanta Bale Super Stayers on the same night.
It was a mixed day for the fortunes of Poke the Bear who was named The Meadows’ greyhound of the year, despite being the second reserve this Saturday night.
Trainer Seona Thompson will still feature in the main race with Rookie Rebel winner Deliver drawing box five.
While the day was all about the stars of another sport, the crowd was spellbound when Bellamy took to the stage.
Widely regarded as one of the best coaches of any sport in Australia, Bellamy spoke candidly about the challenges that come with leading one of the most successful football sides of the modern era, while also dealing with the challenges that come with heading up a Rugby League team in a traditionally AFL town.
Tornado Tears’ trainer Robert Britton spoke about the excitement of heading into one of the biggest weeks of the greyhound racing calendar.
