THE tears flowed and the celebrations carried on into the early hours of Sunday morning after star Tasmanian greyhound Buckle Up Wes gave his rivals a galloping lesson to win the 2014 Australian Cup at The Meadows in Melbourne on Saturday night.
Buckle Up Wes delivered a career best effort to lead all the way and outgun race favourite Keybow with Dyna Nalin coming from near last to finish a distant third.
The dog’s trainer Ted Medhurst described the win as one of the most emotional experiences of his training life.
He returned to Hobart this afternoon (Sunday) with fellow trainer Debbie Cannan who acted as Buckle Up Wes’ handler for the race but winning the Australian Cup wasn’t new to her as she prepared St Pierre to win the race in 2011 for prominent NSW owner Chris Nutt.
Buckle Up Wes’s owners Robyn Johnson and Sharon Sutton were ecstatic after the race and any wonder as the winner’s cheque was a massive $250,000 that took the dog’s earnings to just under $325,000.
Medhurst said Buckle Up Wes would most likely head to Sydney for the Group 1 Easter Egg series at Wentworth Park in Sydney that carries prizemoney of $500,000.
Listen to what trainer Ted Medhurst had to say to Tasracing’s Peter Staples about Buckle Up Wes’ Australian Cup win.