At 23 years of age, Paris Toner celebrated her first victory at Sandown Park as a trainer on April 28 with Lavender Eve (Shima Shine x Ita Louisa) over 515m. Continuing a family tradition of racing in Victoria that spans four generations. 

Lavender Eve won her maiden at Sandown Park from box six. 

Toner is a great-granddaughter of Doris May Kelly, who started training in the 1950s with her son, John Kelly. John trained champions like African Zulu and Greta Garbor. His sister, Doris Junior, married Barry Toner, and their son, Stephen, along with Paris and her sister, Maddison, continue the training legacy.

After taking over Lavender Eve from her grandparents in February, Toner and her partner, Noah Bennett, walk ‘Pebbles’ for 2.5 km every morning and night.

Bennett, who is new to the sport, has shown his support for his partner’s training aspirations by obtaining his handler’s licence. The couple greatly appreciates the assistance of Georgia and Dermott Prout at Stratford, who provide a straight track for training with a drag lure.

Reflecting on her time as a kennel hand for trainers including Tanya and Graeme Jose, Glenn Rounds, and the Whelan family, the young greyhound trainer shared, “I take bits and pieces from everyone to create my own approach. Nan always said that even if a dog isn’t the fastest, it’s vital to ensure they’re in top condition. Baz believed greyhounds are better conditioned by walking them than by using a walking machine.”

Toner also works as a veterinary nurse in Maffra, alongside her sister and has learned a lot from the practice’s main surgeon, Cindy Hayes. This knowledge enhances her perspective on the health of her greyhound.

While Pebbles hasn’t been the quickest to ‘step’ with her early races, the aspiring trainer aims to move her up in distance, to improve her performance, also using toys to play with, to bring her out of her shell.

“She was quite timid at box rise with some of her early races, and I’m noticing a difference now. I thought it was really good that she took the gap on the night that she won, and put a few lengths on the others.”

At her most recent outing, Pebbles raced over 595m from box 7 and despite being held up on the first turn, the budding trainer is pleased with her progress and plans her next race, noting how special it is to continue the family tradition of training greyhounds.

Lavender Eve is next racing at Sale on Wednesday.