Vocal Enforcer Wins 2011 WA Greyhound Of The Year
The Peta and Rod Noden-owned Vocal Enforcer was crowned the WA Greyhound of the Year for 2011 at a function in Perth yesterday.
Vocal Enforcer raced 36 times during 2011 for 18 wins and 13 placings for a total of $143,070 in stakes and an additional $37,800 in WESTCHA$E breeder bonuses.
Vocal Enforcer qualified for ten feature finals during 2011, with his biggest success coming with his victory in the Group 2 Solo All Stars Sprint, WA's second biggest sprint race of the year.
He also won the Puppy Classic and the Anniversary Cup and placed in an additional four finals, including a runner-up effort in the Group 2 Britton's WA Derby.
A tenacious chaser who always gave his all whenever he stepped onto the racetrack, Vocal Enforcer was ultra-consistent throughout the full calendar year breaking the 30.50 seconds for the 530m journey at Cannington on 12 occasions.
Other award winners during the evening included racing industry stalwart ‘Gentleman Jim' Chadwick in the Gerry O'Keefe Achievement Award, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the greyhound racing industry over more than three decades as a race caller, media personality and later as the Cannington on-course announcer.
Chadwick's involvement in the greyhound code stretches right back to when the code first started here in WA in the early 1970's and he fostered the development of some of greyhound racing's early race callers including Stuart Lowe.
Chadwick's involvement in racing per se, is now approaching 50 years since he commenced his career as an apprentice jockey at age 16.
Linda Britton again collected the Leading Trainer Award after winning the Cannington Trainers' Title for a record 13th time and finishing second in the Mandurah Title in 2011. Britton trained 301 winners for the calendar year, her highest total since 2008.
Talented young Racing Radio 1206 Announcer Ashleigh Paikos was successful in the Youth Achievement Award and is destined for a bright future in the racing media.
Nearly 170 people attended yesterday afternoon's event held at the Royal Perth Yacht Club hosted by Channel 9's Bob Harnett and Pip O'Connell.
*Images courtesy of Joe Mulder Photography
Photo 1 : Trainer Andrew McLaren and Vocal Enforcer after the Anniversary Cup win
Photo 2 : Vocal Enforcer with Peta and Rod Noden (kneeling behind the greyhound) after his biggest win the Group 2 All Stars