Injury wait for speed champ

By Ben Hope
DEVON Meadows’ veteran greyhound trainer Jon Roberts is counting on a little luck to make sure his champion greyhound Lord Ducal will be recovered from a knee injury and ready to run in the 2010 Karingal Hub TAB – Cranbourne Cup next week.
“If all goes to plan he should run but with animals anything can happen,” Roberts said.
“He still needs a couple more gallops but he is in pretty good shape.”
Last November Lord Ducal won the $175,000 Melbourne Cup – the pinnacle race on the Melbourne greyhound calendar – in spectacular fashion, coming within two hundredths of a second of the race record.
Following the win, Roberts took the champion to Brisbane to run in the Brisbane Cup.
“He ran second in the heats and then fifth in the consolation, where he suffered a knee injury,” Roberts said.
“After a few weeks rest he has come good just at the right time, but you always have to keep your fingers crossed.”
With his wife Jennifer, Jon has raced greyhounds for the past 33 years and in 1988 the couple began breeding dogs as well. Lord Ducal is the latest champion from the dam line they have had for five generations.
Cranbourne Greyhounds CEO Tony Wright said the $30,000 Cranbourne Cup was a well-sought -after race that had been won by many top chasers over the years.
“The Roberts family have a special reason and desire to win their local cup, because apart from Jon and Jennifer being club members for the past 20 years, Jon has also been a committee man at the Cranbourne Cup for the last 12 years,” Wright said. The Cranbourne Cup series will commence with the first heats on Monday 18 January with the final races Australia Day eve, Monday 25 January.
Wright said that as usual, entry to the Cranbourne Greyhounds would be free.
“There will be children’s activities and the chance to enjoy a great night out before the Australia Day holiday.”