GERALD Lanigan and Matt Lanigan celebrated another milestone in the career of their most prized greyhound last Friday night.
The father and son duo were on hand in Melbourne as the pride of their kennel, Zambora Blueboy, was crowned Most Popular Greyhound of the Year.
Greyhound Racing Victoria selected 34 greyhounds that had successful years by winning major events during 2013.
The Lanigans’ dog, better known as Charlie, was selected after winning the Waterloo Cup in August.
He was the first greyhound to win back to back Waterloo Cups since 1953.
The Most Popular Greyhound Award was a people’s choice award where enthusiasts had to vote through Facebook for their favourite dog from the selected list of 34.
The Lanigans found out earlier in the week that Charlie had made the top five greyhounds including: Black Magic Opal (Geelong and Melbourne Cup winner), Kokoda Spirit (South Australian Oaks), Peter Rocket (Megastar and Horsham Cup winner), Ronan Izmir (Bendigo, Warrnambool and Ballarat Cup winner).
The award was presented at an industry night celebrating 40 years of greyhound racing in Victoria, with premier Denis Napthine at the ceremony.
The Lanigans own six other greyhounds including Zambora Power and Rylee’s Reign that run at Sandown Park on Thursday night.
