George Kairouz will be front and centre at the GRNSW Richmond Puppy Auction on Sunday but for the first time without someone near and dear by his side.
Kairouz is still mourning the tragic passing of his close friend and business partner Terry Hill who died suddenly on April 24, aged just 52.
Over the years the late Hill and Kairouz would be regular fixtures at the industry's annual puppy auctions, first at Dapto before it found a new home at Richmond.
Before his death, Hill had declared his intentions to secure a pup or two with some close mates at the Auction rebirth, a commitment Kairouz plans to uphold this weekend, along with a new, passionate sidekick.
"Terry's daughter TAYLAH is very keen to get involved with his dogs … in a way to continue his legacy," Kairouz said.
"TAYLAH's been a tower of strength the last few weeks and is a special young lady.
“She's always shown an interest in the dogs. But with Terry now gone she really wants to carry on what he's built and will race the dogs with me.
"Terry was like my son, my best mate and I know that TAYLAH getting involved would have been exactly what he wanted.
“She'll carry the torch proudly."
Over the years, Hill and Kairouz have managed to create more than their share of headlines at the annual Puppy Auction event.
Back in 2016, the pair purchased a young pup by Barcia Bale and Clockwise which went on to race as Fast Times, the breaker of track records, winner of two Group 1 races and over $250,000 in stakes.
"Terry picked him out – he had his eye on him from the outset," Kairouz recalled.
"I could be wrong but I think we only paid $5000 or so for him.
"At that auction we bought another dog named Opal Nera which won a Group race as well.
"He had an unbelievable eye for a dog, Terry. He very rarely missed the mark.
"And when it came to breeding he wouldn't forget a thing. I used to call him the ‘Rain Man' of greyhound racing. Remembered everything. He just loved it."
Click here to view the 2024 GRNSW Puppy Auction Catalogue
While Kairouz has fond memories of Hill's Auction exploits in 2016, it was a vastly different story in 2015, when the prolific winning combination were sellers rather than buyers.
"We had two pups – a dog and a bitch – we'd bred by Where's Pedro and Unfinished in the auction that year," Kairouz remembered.
"The plan was to keep them but during the bidding process for the dog it reached $29,000.
"After the auction (the late) Len Antonio offered us $30,000 and Terry kept saying we should take it because it was the record that was paid for an auction dog at the time.
"So we sold and he went on to race as Thirty Talks, the winner of Group 1s and over $400,000 in prizemoney.
"Every time he won I made sure to give Terry a little reminder but all in good fun. We kept the sister who was Split Image – she was very good in her own right and a great producer."
And while all roads lead to Richmond on Sunday, Kairouz will have his eyes glued on the venue on Saturday also, when star straight tracker Shall Not steps out eyeing win number 49.
The Darren Sultana-trained superstar sprinter is on track for a defence of the Straight Of Origin Series at Capalaba next month.
"He was Terry's favourite – by far … he just loved the dog," Kairouz said.
"Right back to Placard he's had some great dogs but he just had a real soft spot for Shall Not.
"If he could go on and win the Straight Of Origin again with the club naming the race in Terry's honour it would be something really special."
We will be broadcasting the 2024 GRNSW Puppy Auction on Sunday from 9:30am at www.thedogs.com.au
