Angela Langton has bred a long list of group winners, as well as the 2018 Group 1 Australian Cup runner-up, Hasten Slowly. She says that self-belief is a key component in her success.
Angela Langton has bred a long list of group winners, as well as the 2018 Group 1 Australian Cup runner-up, Hasten Slowly. She says that self-belief is a key component in her success.
Angela Langton says a lack of self-belief may be preventing some greyhound breeders from reaching their potential.
Langton and her mother Sue Smith have achieved extraordinary success as breeders, winning numerous group races with greyhounds they’ve bred including Que Sera Sera, Auf Weidersehen, Lynlea’s King, Come On Lleyton, Wizard’s Chess and Yowyeh.
“I’m very passionate about breeding. I want to win group races and I’ve got enormous drive to be the best breeder I can be, and I think some breeders need to aim higher and believe in themselves a bit more,” she said.
The Anakie breeder trainer said consistently achieving success as a breeder starts from before a mating even occurs.
“I believe you have to be very selective with the greyhounds you choose to breed with. I like to breed with hard-chasing dams who can run 500 metres or further,” she said.
Langton said that a lot of pups are kept in cotton wool and don’t get enough exercise, particularly during the rearing phase.
“I believe you need to feed the best you can and give your pups plenty of handling and plenty of galloping. I believe that some people are too scared to let their pups run too much, but that’s how they learn to run and learn to stretch out,” she insisted.
Langton said some trainers also need to set the bar higher with regard to racing their greyhounds.
“Some people never actually try to step their dogs up to 500 metres because they just don’t see themselves as metropolitan trainers, but it’s silly to think like that. If people step out of their comfort zones and, within reason, give their dogs a try over more ground they might find that they have a city class dog on their hands,” she said.
Listen to every podcast right here.
Communications Manager at Greyhound Racing Victoria with 25 years’ experience as a reporter with National Greyhound Form newspaper and GRV. Former Watchdog form analyst. Adopter of celebrity greyhound, Fred Basset. Victorian Greyhound of the Year and Victorian greyhound racing Hall of Fame panel member.
Don’t miss your FREE Australian Cup wrap in today’s Herald Sun, featuring key stories…