SANDOWN Greyhound Club raised $10,000 for charity with a special tribute race.
Devon Meadows trainer Karen Pitt won the Judy Hayley Memorial at Sandown Park in Springvale with What’s Up Herbie on Thursday 25 February.
The track, staff and handlers were decked out in pink for the Shades of Greyhound girls night out event, which attracted 300 guests and featured live music, cocktails and beauty treatments.
The night raised $10,000 for the Leukaemia Foundation and the Monash Health Breast Oncology Unit, taking the total raised since the event’s inception to more than $30,000.
What’s Up Herbie was fittingly wearing the pink vest and led the field out of the straight, crossed to the rail and held on for the win.
“He got held out a little early but he’s got great heart and kept trying until he found the lead and he was able to hold on,” Pitt said.
“He knows his way around and we thought if he could get across to the rail he’d be a chance.
“We weren’t too confident but we’re glad he got there.
The Judy Hayley Memorial is only open to female trainers and was named for the 2001 Melbourne Cup-winning trainer who passed away four years ago.
“Judy was such a wonderful women, it’s a real privilege to be running in a race named after her and to win it is just fantastic,” Pitt said.
“There’s a lot of women that work hard in the industry and it’s great that that can be recognised on a night like this.
“It’s a lot of fun getting the girls together and enjoying a night out and raise some money for a couple of great causes, too.
“I read that Herbie’s breeder is very ill as well, hopefully he was able to listen in or watch and get a thrill out of his win, too.”
What’s Up Herbie won the Judy Hayley Memorial heat on Sunday 21 February – Pitt’s first time handling a greyhound since giving birth to her son Toby on New Year’s Day.
Toby and Pitt’s family were trackside to share the win.
“The photo with Toby and Herbie is one that we’ll put up on the wall and look back on,” she said.
“We’ll probably bring up at his 21st – his first day at the races and we had a winner.”
Pitt’s father trained greyhounds before she was born and shared with her his tales from the track.
“One day I said to him ‘why don’t we get one as a family?’,” she said.
“I was about nine and I picked out a pup from the paper that I liked, we went up and bought her and have always had a dog or been at the track since.”
