Having a finalist in any group 1 race is an amazing experience for any owner, but the experience for George Zogoulas will be all the more special when Invictus Rapid takes his place in Thursday night’s Harrison-Dawson.
In 1983, Zogoulas was involved near fatal motorbike accident. Despite not having any prior involvement in the sport, Zogoulas decided to get involved, and the daily commitment to the dogs played an important part of his recovery.
“I had motorbike accident and was given a small chance of surviving, then they told me I’ll never walk again. I was in a really bad way,” explained Zogoulas.
“I was living in suburbia at the time but decided to move to an established property with kennels. I needed something in my life that was going to help me recover and gain fitness.”
Following his recovery Zogoulas briefly took up training, however he now specialises in the breeding and upbringing of pups.
“I trained briefly but it’s very time consuming, I now only breed and handle young pups until they’re ready to break in.”
This Thursday night will be a significant one for him and his team venture to the track to watch Invictus Rapid will battle for group 1 glory.
“It’s a great honor to have a dog line up in a field like this – it really is a dream come true – but to be in with a winning chance is a pretty surreal feeling.”
Invictus Rapid made his way into the field with a brilliant 29.20 win in his heat last Thursday night. Post-race, the special connection between Invictus Rapid and Zogoulas was apparent. With his tail wagging, Invictus Rapid – or Cyril as he’s known off the track – was ecstatic when he saw his owner approaching for a photo.
“We bred the dog, we were hands on with him for a long time. I hadn’t seen him up close for 2 or 3 months but he certainly didn’t forget who we were,” Zogoulas laughed.
Invictus Rapid will exit box 7 in the $145,000 final and is rated a $6.50 chance with TAB.
“There’s a lot of speed in the race. He’s been beginning better in his last 2 or 3 starts, hopefully he can continue that.”
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