The greyhound racing industry is saddened by the sudden passing of Ken Virtue today.

Ken had an association with greyhound racing dating back to the 1970s as a trainer, rearer and studmaster.

“Ken was very articulate and well-educated,” said close friend Andrew Varasdi, who was associated with a number of greyhounds in conjunction with Ken. “He was an accountant by trade but greyhound racing was his passion and he got such a kick out of training winners. Ken and wife Michelle ran a commercial rearing farm in Tooradin called Delta Park for many years and built a great reputation having reared countless winners, some of which went to stud including Black Shiraz and Nitro Burst.”

“Ken also trained some top-class greyhounds including Disco Dishlicker, Jamb Kid and Banjo Boy. He stood Ginger Magee at stud in the 1990s and he and Michelle moved to Lang Lang about 12 months ago having made the decision to scale down and train two or three greyhounds while continuing to stand Banjo Boy at stud.”

Ken is pictured above with Banjo Boy after the greyhound won the 2014 Cranbourne Cup.