Jason Lyne (pictured with Ross Davidson left, Andrea Dailly right) has experienced the spoils of victory at the highest level of greyhound racing, but nothing compares to the thrill of Sweet Bourbski’s maiden win last Sunday.
Sweet Bourbski’s dam, Bourbski Fever, famously won the 2015 group 1 Bold Trease before tragedy struck.
“She had been selected for the Zoom Top when Ross (good friend and syndicate partner Ross Davidson) received a phone call from Tom Dailly. Ross thought it was going to be about who was coming down for the dining table on the night. He passed on the news that she’d broken her back leg in a training accident.”
The injury was so serious it not only put an immediate end to her career, that had seen her earn $132,156 in prize money, it also threatened her life.
“We were absolutely devastated. The vet did all they could but the only option for us to keep her alive was to amputate the leg. We had no hesitation in doing that – no matter what the costs were.”
After a long recovery, including learning how to live life on three legs, the duo looked to breeding with their group 1 winning star. Despite only having two pups, Lyne was ecstatic with the result.
“She (Bourbski Fever) is a unique greyhound, she’s got her own personality. She didn’t take to the pups when they were born, Ross and his partner fed the pups for the first seven to ten days then she finally took to them.
“Ross did a lot of the work early on. They were reared at Kim Hyde’s property in Lidsdale which is round the corner from Ross’. She did a fantastic job and Ross pretty much broke in the dogs himself before they went down to Tom and Andrea’s.”
Sweet Bourbski won her maiden heat (brother Bourbski Bar ran 3rd in his) on Sunday to claim a spot in tomorrow night’s final where she has drawn box 1. Lyne was excited just to see her hit the track, with the win exceeding expectations.
“We didn’t really know what to expect on Sunday. Ross and I both had goosebumps when she won, it was just amazing for us.
“Bourbski Fever had the biggest fan club in the world and I think everybody that followed her backed the pup on Sunday, I got that many messages saying well done after the race.
“She’s only 19 months old and we couldn’t be prouder of her, she’s a beautiful dog.”
As well as a breeder and owner Lyne is the manager of the Bathurst Greyhound Racing Club.
“I think it’s supposed to be 6 degrees this Monday coming up when we race so the beanie will be out. We’ve had some really strong racing recently so hopefully that continues for the winter months.”
The Maiden final opens the card of racing this Thursday night and will jump at 6.04pm.
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