The late Paul Wheeler, regarded as arguably the most successful greyhound breeder and owner Australia has ever seen, has been inducted into the Victorian Greyhound Racing Hall of Fame.

Wheeler was honoured at the Victorian Greyhound Awards on Friday night, recognising a legacy that transformed not only Victorian racing, but the Australian greyhound industry.

Based in New South Wales, Wheeler built a breeding dynasty synonymous with the famous Bale, Dyna and Allen names, producing generations of champions whose influence continues today through the Paw name.

His impact on Victorian greyhound racing stretches back to the late 1990s through greyhounds including Lansley Bale, Suellen Bale and Kantarn Bale, before an extraordinary procession of stars followed.

Among them were Xylia Allen and the million-dollar trio of Fernando Bale, Dyna Double One and Fanta Bale.

Paul Wheeler and Korie Heinrich with Australian Cup winner Dyna Double One.

Trainer Lisa Delbridge described Wheeler, who passed away in 2021, as a visionary whose impact extended well beyond the champions he bred.

“Paul Wheeler was a visionary who didn’t just breed champions. He changed the breed, shaped the sport and left a legacy that will live on for generations,” Delbridge said.

“He loved the sport, he loved the greyhound and he loved people ringing him and asking questions.”

“If you rang him, he’d talk to you for an hour, an hour and a half. He’d prefer to see somebody else succeed. That was just the man he was.”

Perhaps no achievement better illustrates the scale of Wheeler’s breeding operation than the 2011 Melbourne Cup at Sandown Park.

Wheeler remarkably bred and owned the first seven greyhounds across the line in Australia’s greatest greyhound race, headed by winner Dyna Tron.

But the Wheeler family’s Melbourne Cup story would deliver another remarkable chapter following Paul’s passing.

In 2022, Yachi Bale claimed the Group 1 Melbourne Cup, adding another of Australian greyhound racing’s most coveted trophies to the Wheeler legacy.

For Delbridge and husband Mark, who trained Yachi Bale, the victory carried enormous emotion as the Wheeler family continued the operation Paul had built.

His influence can still be found throughout pedigrees across the country, ensuring the Wheeler name remains deeply woven into Australian greyhound racing.