The Vic Peters Classic, first run in 1951, is the oldest feature race on the NSW Greyhound Breeders, Owners and Trainers Association calendar. The first year it was won by Sharid.
The race was named in honour of the man often referred to as the founding father of the GBOTA.
The race has been won by some icons of the industry, including Black Top (1962), Woolley Wilson (1972), Brother Fox (1984), Worth Doing (1988), Go Wild Teddy (2000), Collision (2003), Zambora Brockie (2015) and Ando’s Mac (2016).
The 2019 Group 1 Vic Peters was won by people’s champion, Feral Franky.
In 2021, the race had to be postponed due to the COVID-19 lockdown in Sydney. It wasn't lost however and instead of its regular July timeslot, the race was scheduled for October.
When it did arrived, the heats produced some promising performances, but none better than Jodie Lord's Bandit Ned, and a week later the impressive youngster added to his rapidly growing record, a Group 1 victory in the final.
2021 Ladbrokes Vic Peters Winner - Bandit Ned - Jodie Lord
2021 Ladbrokes Vic Peters Winner - Bandit Ned - Jodie Lord (Handler Paul Mills
Gatlin, a greyhound nobody wanted to train, raced his way into the record books by leading all the way in the 2022 Group 1 Ladbrokes Vic Peters Classic.
Minnie Finn, wife of champion trainer John Finn, took over Gatlin's training just over two months prior to the race and timed the dog's preparation to perfection.
Gatlin's early pace won him the final as he jumped smartly from box one and reeled off slick initial splits of 5.42 and 13.81.
"Gatlin showed outstanding promise when he was broken in and before he raced I was offered $30,000 for him," owner Darrin Ferguson said.
"He wasn't for sale but after I approached seven different leading trainers, no one was interested in taking him on, they all kept saying 'a lot of dogs break in good but then don't go on with it'.
"So I gave him to Western Districts' trainer Darren Wort and he did a terrific job with Gatlin, giving him 16 starts for six wins and six placings.
"My son named the dog after Justin Gatlin, an American athlete who was the 2004 Olympic Games 100 metre champion and the world 100m champion in 2005 and 2017.''
