Invictus Rapid wins in his 100th career start


On Thursday night iron greyhound Invictus Rapid claimed a win in his 100th career start.

“I’m so proud of him. He’s been doing marvelously. He’s such a great chasing dog,” expressed owner and breeder George Zogoulas.

“He’s been in two Harrison-Dawson finals. He hasn’t had favorable box draws, but when he gets the inside he’s really a different type of dog.”

Invictus Rapid, or ‘Cyril’ as he’s known off the track, has been a brilliant performer on the track. He’s won 38 races and placed in a further 34 from his century of career starts. He’s started in 9 group events and was runner-up in the group 1 Peter Mosman and group 2 Healesville Cup.

“I’ll tell you, if a person can have a dog of his caliber, and do what they do in their career, it’s just an absolute dream.

“He’s becoming and iron dog now, not forgetting about a year and a half ago, he tore his back muscle in Adelaide. Once he recovered we brought him back, he’s had nearly 50, 60 starts after that injury, he’s a really tough dog.”

Greyhounds bred by Zogoulas and his wife Sharon are well known for carrying the ‘Invictus’ prefix. While they do breed their own litters, they profess in whelping and have done so for some of the sport’s biggest names.

“We do a lot of whelping, that’s what we specialize in. The first litter that we actually whelped on the property was for Ray Borda, it included Aston Dee Bee, Aston Miley and Aston Selena. Since then, we’ve had numerous good winners that have came through our place.”

It’s evident the love that Zogoulas has for not only his greyhounds, but ones owned by other parties that pass through his Blind Bight property.

“We spend a lot of time with our dogs. We love our dogs, and they love us.

“The experience has been an absolute joy and it’s got other people involved. We love coming to Sandown, it’s just a very supporting sort of a place. You have a great meal, a great time, people are receptive and they welcome you with open arms. It’s great for the industry.”

Earlier in the night Geoff Green celebrated his first city win and Mario Briganti trained a winning treble.

This Thursday’s racing from Sandown Park is highlighted by heats of the McKenna Memorial. A feature event over 595m which will attract Australia’s most popular mid-distance stars. The series is expected to by headlined by RSN Sandown Cup winner Tornado Tears.

Invictus Rapid (4) wins in his 100th start
Jason Adams
About Jason Adams - Racing Operations Coordinator at Sandown Park. Over 8 years involvement in greyhound racing and one of the sport's biggest and most passionate fans.
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