An all-white greyhound with a ‘black patch’ over her left eye is poised to pillage and plunder at Ballarat on Wednesday night.

Not surprisingly her name is Pirates Patch and she’s been doing some ‘looting’ lately, having won three of her past six starts.

Ironically, Pirates Patch’s owner-trainer, Glenn Maxwell, is a ‘landlubber’. He’s the Altona Sports Club’s lawn bowls coach and greenkeeper.

A keen lawn bowler, Maxwell, 48, has won several premier league flags and a state championship.

And now he’s ‘Jack High’ in greyhound racing. Maxwell purchased Pirates Patch as a pup for close to $5000 and she’s rewarded him with almost $9000 in prizemoney.

A fellow lawn bowler, Warren Vogele, was the catalyst behind Maxwell’s involvement in greyhound racing. Vogele formed a syndicate, comprising Maxwell, which raced handy sprinter Midfield Maestro. She won 10 races from 63 starts.

Midfield Maestro was eventually transferred to Altona Meadows trainer Malcolm Davis, who has become a close friend and mentor of Maxwell’s. In fact, he trains Pirates Patch from Davis’s premises.

Pirates Patch has won six races from 19 starts and, more importantly, has notched three wins in four starts from the red number one box – which she’ll occupy on Wednesday night.

She’s been tipped to win by expert form analyst The Watchdog – albeit assessed as a $6.50 chance. The reason being is the greyhound in the yellow number five box, Jim Zarr Dashian ($1.80 favourite), is a rising star with five wins from only 11 starts.

“Pirates Patch has been beginning well,” Maxwell said. “My hope is she flies out and gets a four or five length break as she’d be hard to catch.”

Pirates Patch is in Race 6 at 8.38pm. Can she win? Arrr!