Yvonne and Cameron Butcher’s new lease of racing life may get another boost at Angle Park on Thursday night.
The couple, who have Regal Looper going in the $25,000 Group 3 Howard Ashton Final at the Adelaide track, had dogs for several years after marrying more than 40 years ago.
They gave the sport up for about 20 years to concentrate on running their 8000-acre dairy farm.
About six years ago, Yvonne suggested getting back into greyhounds – and they haven’t looked back since.
“As time went on, I started to look at what else we would do with our lives,” Yvonne, 66, said.
“I was the silly one who said, ‘Why don’t we buy a dog’.
“Cameron said no but 30 minutes later he was looking through the greyhound magazine.
“It took a few months to come to fruition but we’ve gone from there.”
The couple have scaled back their farming duties, but still combine their greyhound duties with running a 4000-acre property in Meningie in the state’s south-east.
Yvonne said it had been enjoyable rejoining the sport.
“There’s a lot more regulations now,” the 66-year-old said. “I think it’s more professional now.
“As dairy farmers we were used to the long hours. Now, instead of getting up early, we are going to bed late travelling back from meetings.
“When you have a win, it still puts that smile on your face.”
The pair combine ownership duties, with Cameron also concentrating on training and Yvonne handling cleaning and preparation duties.
Yvonne said their partnership worked well, even if the couple had their occasional disagreements.
“Something would be wrong if we didn’t,” she said.
“I’m not the trainer but because you are so involved you get your own ideas about how you would do things.
“Cameron always listens if I have ideas and if they work out he will say, ‘you were right’ – well, most of the time.”
The couple currently have more than a dozen dogs on their books, including 2012 SA Greyhound of the Year winner Hope’s Up.
They could be in for another triumph, with Regal Looper a decent bet for tomorrow night’s race.
He has seven wins and seven placings from 19 starts to his name and should handle a soft track, which has been hit by deluges this week.
Regal Looper goes from box eight in the race, which is open to SA-bred greyhounds whelped between January 1, 2012 and June 30, 2012.
“He is a dog that pushes through bad conditions,” Yvonne said.
“He doesn’t jump well and loves the rail.
“Looking at what else is in the race, if he gets out well and gets across he could give them a run for their money.”
The race is the eighth of 10 on offer and goes at 9.41pm (AEST).
