EXPERIENCED greyhound trainer Butch Deverell is no stranger to winning the Illingworth Classic but for a band of new owners into the game it was an amazing thrill when their young dog Kalaway Ernie scored a narrow but courageous victory in the Launceston Club’s second richest race on Monday night.
Kalaway Ernie had to call on all of his courage to fend off his rivals over the concluding stages of the Group 3 race over 515 metres on the tight Launceston circuit.
It was the dog’s seventh win from 24 starts but clearly his most impressive.
He started at $6.30 but his price would have been greater had it not been for a plunge by his 16 owners that comprises a group of golfers who bought a litter of pups that was bred by Hilton Gossage.
Kalaway Ernie (Knocka Norris-Trina Sage) went into the final on the back of an impressive heat win over From The West but from box six most punters were of the opinion the dog might be tested beyond his ability.
But Deverell was confident his charge had what it took to get the job done.
“This dog has done an amazing job really and his record speaks for itself,” Deverell said.
“He’s got some quirky habits and at one stage it was really hard to touch him around the kennels but he’s a lot better now.”
“I think this is my fourth Illingworth Classic win but it is probably the most important because my wife (Beris) isn’t in the best of health at the minute and hopefully this win will give her a lift,” the trainer said.
The dog is named after one of his owners Ernie Harvey who was thrilled with the win.
“I won’t go into how he was named after me but I’m pretty rapt given he’s just won an Illingworth Classic.” Harvey said.
“He are a bunch of golfers, 16 of us, and we wanted to do something else together so we decided to buy into this litter and we’ve now got four dogs and they are all racing well,” Harvey said.
Deverell said Kalaway Ernie had the potential to win more feature races.
“He doesn’t do much wrong n he is improving all the time so you would think h would win more decent races,” he said.