With most good stories, the road to success is normally littered with potholes and hurdles. Let's face it, they probably wouldn't be good stories if that wasn't the case, and should Pepe Morada win tonight's $250,000 Ladbrokes 715, it will be a victory over adversity.
Anthony Dawson will watch his 15-year-old daughter Brooke box Pepe Morada at The Gardens in Newcastle this evening, Friday, May 1. If she repeats her heat performance from the same box draw, she will lead and the others will have to get around her. That she is even racing, let alone in the world's richest distance event tonight, is where we pick up the story.
A Fractured Hock Threatens Career
An innocuous racing incident at Wentworth Park the week before Christmas in 2024 left Pepe Morada with a fractured hock. The injury could be healed with surgery, but in most cases it signals the end of a racing career. However, all that mattered right then for the Dawsons was getting Pepe healthy again.
"It was all about getting operated on, healed and then we'd see how it went from there. We don't draw an income from the greyhounds. I work full-time, and my wife works full-time. The greyhounds are primarily a hobby," Anthony said. "Because of that we can give the dogs so much more time to sort things out and recover and be their best. Inevitably if she didn't come good, it wouldn't have mattered. In the end she'd have been fine, and we just wanted to have a good life."
"But it was firstly about giving her the best opportunity to do what she loves, and if it didn't work out, then she'd do something else she loves."
It was a long process. She had a plate put into where the injury was, and then the screws came loose so we had to have that removed and another operation. Most people say when they do a hock their performance is hampered but we're pleasantly surprised. No, that's an understatement. We're shocked. After 10 months off she came out first start back and went 29.3 seconds at Richmond. Only good dogs run that time.
Setbacks Continue
Three more wins and two placings in five runs and Pepe was set for the Summer 700 at Gosford in early January. Three days before the race she came on season and had to be scratched. It took longer than expected to come back to racing, and two weeks before the 715 heats it was unlikely she would compete.
But Anthony trialled Pepe at The Gardens over 515 metres and 603 metres along with a 650-metre slip, and her performances were worthy of nominating. He did, and she did the rest.
"I always thought she was a nice little dog, and I thought she had the ability to be a competitive stayer at some point, but not off this preparation and in these sorts of races, but I'm very happy to be wrong," he said.
Family Ties to Racing
Unlike many, family connections did not exactly bring Anthony into greyhound racing. The Dawsons have a long history in harness racing. His uncle Bill was a prominent trainer who trained star pacer Special Albert, who won the Newcastle Mile and started in the 2008 Miracle Mile.
"My brother Matthew got me into the greyhounds. He had a couple of giveaways to get started with. It was pretty time consuming with the horses and I went with my brother to trial a couple of dogs. It takes a good while to work a horse, and this was a lot easier, so I decided to give it go."
Anthony has enjoyed good success with a small team. Pepe Morada's brother Right Said Ed reached the prestigious Maitland Future Stars final in 2024, and their mother Kylie Keeping made the Sydney Cup final and the Nowra Puppy Classic final. But nothing compares to this, and having his daughter Brooke involved only adds to the experience.
Brooke's Role
Brooke has been involved since she was nine or 10, and when old enough she gained her attendant's licence. She has a real affinity with Pepe, boxed her in the heats, and will do it again in the 715 final.
"She's always up for an adventure or a trip, or something to get involved in," Anthony said. "I was all for her getting her licence. It's good to give the young ones the opportunity; it teaches them a bit of responsibility. They learn to be able to follow instructions and go through processes, be responsible and all the things that you need to uphold as a participant."
"I think it's good for them to go through that and learn things, talk to people with a bit of authority, and it teaches them good social skills; just basic good life skills as they run into different types of people and have to communicate with them. It's a skill that's a bit lost these days with all the technology."
The greyhound industry is fantastic where you can learn from hobby trainers as well as the professionals and she gets a lot of support from everyone. "Pepe loves Brookie, and she loves Pepe, and they will both be great on Friday night."
This article was produced as part of an ACM partnership with Greyhound Racing NSW.
