It was good news last week for the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club (MGGRC) after Captain Abbott and Kerry Hawker of Edenhope-based Cadillac Racing confirmed they would continue in 2025 as the club’s major sponsor.
Their sponsorship, which commenced last year, includes the naming rights for the Group 3 Mount Gambier Cup (512 metres), heats of which will be run at Tara Raceway on Sunday, March 30 prior to the $36,000 final on Sunday, April 6.
In 2024 Cadillac Racing also donated a pup to the club by Wow out of Another Pick which had been valued at around $3000. Another Pick, owned and trained by Abbott, was the 2021 Mount Gambier Greyhound of the Year.
In thanking Abbott and Hawker, MGGRC president Noel Perry said Cadillac Racing had also been a significant supporter of the club’s ongoing charitable promotions.
“Also, Captain and Kerry are great supporters of our club on race days, collectively last year having trained 95 Category 2 winners at Tara Raceway. And we certainly wish them continued success on the track with their greyhounds,” he said.
Abbott’s involvement in greyhound racing goes back to 1968 and a dog called Grand Brigadier who had given him a good start in the game. In 1974 followed a Melbourne Cup win with Kwik Metal.
A former panel beater and dairy farmer, he relocated to Edenhope in 2004 and has been a Tara Raceway regular ever since.
He still rates his best greyhound as White Arrow, the daughter of Tina’s Jo and Cape Arrow racing from the end of 2009 to the end of 2012. All told she won 25 races at Mount Gambier, Warrnambool, Angle Park, Horsham, Sandown Park and The Meadows.
And winning at her first start at Tara Raceway on December 15, 2013 was Manila Express, a daughter of Bekim Bale and Flossy. She went on to win a further 17 races, including distance events at Angle Park.
Then, in more recent times, Abbott’s Black Spring, a giveaway greyhound who raced on 136 occasions for 24 wins, won the 2019 Mount Gambier Greyhound of the Year.
Another of his interests is vintage cars with a recent purchase being “Tin Lizzy”.
Hawker’s involvement with greyhounds goes back to the 1980s out at Glenburnie where she worked as a steward alongside Michael Robinson – these days a MGGRC committee member. They caught up again in 2016 when racing a greyhound called Gentle Moment.
She moved to Edenhope five years ago and proceeded to set up Cadillac Kennels – now starting to take shape – with Abbott. She’s also training some of her own greyhounds with Nero Valentino winning the 2023 Mount Gambier Greyhound of the Year.
Last year ended pretty well for Cadillac Racing with Top Cadillac and Mister Cadillac sharing the 2024 Mount Gambier Greyhound of the Year award with 57 points. And 2025 also kicked off well when Top Cadillac won the $6000 Federal 600 at the recent Australia Day meeting.
But for Hawker her day at the dogs amounts to more than simply boxing a few greyhounds. With a considerable number of interstate trainers generally on track, she appears to have picked up the job of organising catchers and handlers for some of the visitors.
Also, she goes out of her way to make welcome any youngsters on track. This even extends to organising for them, if they so desire, the opportunity to be able to catch up with runners after they have raced.
