2022 Waterloo Cup winner He’s No Slouch set to win 150th Waterloo Cup running
In a testament to tradition and history, this year's National Coursing Association of Victoria's (NCAV) coursing season takes on a momentous tone.
Emblematic of this occasion, the current ‘coursing king', 2022 Waterloo Cup winner He's No Slouch, will take centre stage at Lang Lang this today..
The date holds historical significance, marking exactly 150 years since the inaugural coursing meeting took place at Sunbury.
The Waterloo Cup, revered as the ‘Holy Grail' of coursing, shares its birth year and original location with the first-ever coursing meeting – Sunbury in 1873.
Guided by the expert hand of NCAV president Peter Craig, He's No Slouch – a litter brother of the acclaimed Wow She's Fast – is set to compete in the $1265 to-the-winner Western Saws Cup today.
Looking ahead, Lang Lang's South Gippsland-based track could very well turn out to be He's No Slouch's ‘coursing kingdom'.
Adding to the excitement of the day, the secondary feature – the $1130 to-the-winner Gary Brett Memorial – will be graced by the presence of Promises Broken, trained by Robert Redenbach.
Promises Broken, stepping into the coursing world for the first time, boasts a track record of three victories over 515 metres on the ‘circle' at Sandown Park, with a personal best time of 29.36 seconds.
Heather Villinger, NCAV treasurer and historian, affectionately reminisces about the sport's storied past, noting, “Once a greyhound has coursed it never forgets where it is and what it is going to do – they love it.”
Villinger takes us on a journey back in time, recounting, “On Sunday, May 28, 1873, there was a coursing meeting at Sunbury. The first coursing meeting in Victoria with rules as set down by the then ruling body in the ‘Mother Country'.
“Here we are exactly 150 years later on Sunday, May 28, 2023, at Lang Lang doing what we love – coursing our hounds.
“Not only do we, the participants, love it – so do our hounds. They are sighthounds after all.”
She elaborates on the enduring traditions of the sport, “We still course our greyhounds in knitted or crocheted collars of red or white; we still exit and begin the course out of slips; we still assemble our hounds in the observation/marshalling yard; we still have a judge hoisting a flag to determine the winner of a course and that is what is left of the olden days.”
However, Villinger acknowledges the evolution of the sport, “We've moved a long way and adapted our sport to suit.
“Since 1967 Lang Lang has utilised a drag lure, we have a catching pen too, and coursing is no longer conducted over consecutive days”.