HomeTommy Shelby calls time on his remarkable career
Tommy Shelby calls time on his remarkable career
March 3, 2022
Greyhound
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Greyhound
Champion WA sprinter Tommy Shelby has run his last race with connections announcing the retirement of the handsome blue chaser.
The 2020-21 Australian Greyhound of The Year finishes his career with the remarkable statistics of 48 starts for 31 wins and 12 placings with more than $1 million in prizemoney.
Trainer Steve Withers who was also crowned the Australian Trainer of The Year for the 2021-22 season decided after a recent trial that Tommy has done all he can on the track and that it was time for the next phase of his life.
“He has achieved all he possibly could on the race track and we are just so proud of him.” Withers said.
“We were hoping to potentially have him back for a farewell tilt at the Perth Cup but it hasn’t quite gone to plan and we are comfortable for him to now live the life of luxury and stud duties.
“It has always been our commitment to put Tommy’s health and safety first and the time is right for him to retire.” Withers concluded.
In a career littered with excellence Tommy Shelby’s three Group 1 victories in the Hobart 1000, Australian Cup and Golden Easter Egg put him in rare air in relation to the all-time greats of the sport.
His tenacious chasing style and ability to burn the candle at both ends of his races made him a fan favourite Australia wide and he has catapulted greyhound racing in to the main stream media on numerous occasions throughout his career. On the night of his Australian Cup victory he was trending number 1 in Australia on Twitter, a feat generally reserved for Rock Stars and main stream Sports Stars.
The role owners Steve and Kira Withers and Michael and Jodie Harders have played should not be underestimated either – throughout his career Tommy Shelby raised more than $50,000 from his earnings that were donated to charities across Australia.
Tommy Shelby was recently crowned WA Greyhound of the Year for the second time, again a feat reserved purely for the champions of the sport.
Tommy will now continue his life as a Stud Dog where he is already proving incredibly popular.
The son of Fernando Bale out of Serena Fly High has already served more than 70 bitches and along with plenty of interest from Australian breeders there have been requests for his services in the both the UK and Ireland.