Caption: Trainer Glenn Rounds says Aston Rupee is the complete package. (Photo: BlueStream Pictures)

 Group 1 Adelaide Cup

(530m)

Best nominated

Heats September 30. Final October 8.

$100,000 to the winner.

By DAVID BRASCH

IT\’S been 19 years since Ray Borda won his home-town cup.

Brookside Bear landed the Adelaide Cup for a youthful Ray whose entry into greyhound racing was just starting.

Now, two decades later and with an army of greyhounds to back him, he is sending in the \”big gun\” for the 2021 version of the Group 1 Adelaide Cup on the newly revamped Angle Park.

Ray will be represented this year by Australia\’s current glamour dog Aston Rupee (KC And All-Aston Miley), who has had a couple of Group wins and a 28.79 Sandown track record.

And, he has the backing of Ray Borda as the fastest greyhound he has ever owned.

That\’s saying something.

\”Aston Rupee is faster than Aston Dee Bee but Aston Dee Bee is the most professional dog I\’ve ever had,\” Ray said. \”He just got the job done.\”

That he did winning the Group 1 Melbourne Cup and a host of other feature events.

Ray is excited his newest superstar is coming to his own hometown.

\”Of course I\’ll be there cheering him on,\”  Ray said.

Glenn Rounds trains Aston Rupee for Borda and Ray said Glenn admitted to being in love with the dog.

\”Glenn says he is the complete package, cool, calm and collected,\” Ray said. \”In fact, Glenn says he even has to wake him up in the race night kennels to go racing.\”

Aston Rupee can run time wherever he goes, so the new Angle Park should be no problem for him.

\”It\’s interesting that when trainers have young dogs in pre-training they can make excuses for a moderate trial,\” Ray said. \”That\’s just what we all do. But Glenn has never had to make excuses for Jimbo (Aston Rupee’s kennel name).\”

Borda admitted to being superstitious with his dogs.

\”If I\’m at work and need to watch one of my dogs racing, there is a special spot I stand in front of the TV,\” he said. \”I do the same at my home.

\”No, I haven\’t got a special spot at Angle Park … maybe I should have.\”

While the Adelaide Cup is the immediate target for Aston Rupee, Ray also has him as his runner in the up-coming Phoenix greyhound racing\’s answer to the Everest in thoroughbreds.

\”I was looking at the other dogs around at the moment to see who would also be a hopeful for the Phoenix,\” Ray said.

\”Dogs like Koblenz, Wow, Tiggerlong Tonk, Tommy Shelby … gee it will be some race.\”