Ready 2 Race greyhound Big Hutchie won his first race at Shepparton on Monday, much to the delight of first-time owners Bryan Carman and Russell Woods.

A litter brother to the ill-fated staying star Calder Cannon, Big Hutchie (Bekim Bale – Premier Mojo) put his injury woes behind him to take out a Novice Grade 7 race over the 650m trip at his 11th start.

“We bought him for $1,300 at the Ready 2 Race Sales last November after seeking advice from trainer Scott Stefanos. A friend put us on to Scott, who had a little bit of inside mail on the litter, and when we bought him so cheap we were rapt,” Carman said.

“I probably got my hopes up a bit high early doors like a lot of first time owners probably do, but it’s been an exciting journey watching him race so far even though it has taken a bit of time for him to notch his first win.”

“He’s had a few injury troubles and has spent time on the sidelines, so I came back to earth pretty quickly and I’ve had to learn to be patient. I had actually reached the point where I thought maybe he didn’t have it in him to win a race. But full credit to Scott for persevering with him, and hopefully this is the start of better things to come.”
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“We’ve been to the track to watch him race as a family and we’ve obviously seen him run on TV as well. We all get such a buzz out of watching him race and have fallen in love with the idea of bringing him home to live with us once his racing career is over.”

Big Hutchie collected a $1,525 first prize plus a $1,000 GOBIS Bonus at Shepparton, and with his confidence up and a proven ability to run some ground it could be a case of blue skies ahead.
While he likely has another 12-18 months of racing left in him, Big Hutchie, who is named after AFL identity Craig Hutchison, has a home waiting for him once he retires.

“He’ll be coming home to live with my family and I in Epping once he retires,” Carman said.

“When I first told my wife (Teresa) I was buying into a greyhound she wasn’t too happy about it, but now she’s even more excited than I am.”

“Our daughters (Olivia, 8 & Laura, 5) have met Big Hutchie a couple of times and we’ve been to the track to watch him race as a family and we’ve obviously seen him run on TV as well. We all get such a buzz out of watching him race and have fallen in love with the idea of bringing him home to live with us once his racing career is over. Buying him is one of the best things I’ve ever done.”

Greyhound Racing Victoria has announced that the 2015 Ready 2 Race Sales will again be held at Bendigo in November, where up to 96 greyhounds that are at or close to racing stage will be up for sale.
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Watch: Big Hutchie (3) scores his first win last Monday at Shepparton.

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Pictured top of page: (Left) Big Hutchie with breeder Colin Burton, and (right) with new owners Russell Woods, Bryan Carman (right) and trainer Scott Stefanos (middle) at the Ready 2 Race Sales at Bendigo last November.