Top dog claims fame

Australian Test cricketer Brett Lee met his greyhound namesake during the 2001 Australian Cup series.

By Marc McGowan
DEVON Meadows greyhound trainer Darren McDonald doubts he will ever boast another chaser like Brett Lee in his kennel.
But McDonald, who took over the dog’s training after four starts, will still exit the greyhound world a satisfied man after overseeing one of the all-time greats of the sport.
Brett Lee was among 36 inaugural inductees into the new Greyhound Racing Victoria Hall of Fame on Sunday night.
McDonald was filled with immense pride when he found out about the champion sprinter’s honour and told the News he was ‘very lucky’ to be involved with him.
“It’s just a great honour to be involved with a dog that will go down as a legend of the greyhound industry,” he said.
“You don’t realise just how good he was until after he retired and people talk about him as one of the greatest dogs of all time.
“But it wasn’t me who did it – it was the dog. The dog did it all; I just steered him.”
Brett Lee, often referred to as the world’s fastest greyhound, won 31 races from 39 starts, including four Group 1 victories and seven track records.
All of his Group 1 successes came in 2001 and he also captured the Group 2 Warrnambool Classic that year.
But 2001 was also the year Brett Lee’s racing career came to an end.
A severe toe injury suffered in a Sydney trial restricted the dog for his final three races – only one of which he won.
McDonald and fellow owners concluded that retirement was the best option for Brett Lee and he has since become just as successful at stud.
McDonald will always remember the ‘cocky’ Brett Lee who continually wowed crowds in his heyday.
“I just think he knew when the big races were on,” he said.
“He was a cocky little dog. The bigger the crowd; the better he went. It sounds stupid, but I think he knew he was good.
“That comes with any great athlete – whether it’s a footballer, cricketer or whatever.”
McDonald is tipping current kennel star Silent Guardian, who has won five of his six starts, as his next great champion.
“I’ve got a pretty outstanding young dog called Silent Guardian at the moment,” he said.
“But he’s got a long way to go before he’s spoken about in the same breath as Brett Lee.”