By Darren Cartwright
Anyone visiting the Canine Pavilion on the first Sunday at the Ekka can see a towering greyhound with massive feet that caller John Brasch dubs 'The Horse'.
At 44kg, General Rose is the heaviest greyhound racing in Queensland, and he will make his first appearance in the Ekka Sweepstakes.
It will not only be the four-year-old’s Ekka debut, but the first-time trainer Bianca Whitford will have a greyhound on show in the Sweepstakes.
General Rose is one of 63 entries for the 2022 Ekka Sweepstakes to be judged on August 7, the highest number of applications the competition has received in five years.
“The only reason I entered him was to show people the other side of greyhounds, and he is such a unique dog,” Bianca said.
“He loves life and wags his tail for anything. He is the ideal dog to showcase because he has the most perfect temperament.
“He has massive feet, is very tall and very solid, but a gentle giant.”
General Rose, a winner of 10 of his 40 starts, has an appetite for food as big as his love for life, Bianca said.
He is also the hungriest dog in her kennel - by the length of the Capalaba straight – and weighs in 12kg more than the average racing greyhound (dog) over the past five years.
“He eats about four times the number of other dogs,” she said.
“He’s not fat by any means. He is a genuine 44-kilogram dog with no excess weight.”
General Rose has been entered into Intermediate Dog class for 18 months to 4 years.
He turns four in September and is nearing the end of his racing career, although Bianca says she and her partner Chris Johnson are keen to keep him as a pet when they hang up his rug.
“He lives in the house, and we hope to keep him,” she said.
“It would be hard to rehome him from an emotional side for us.”
The Sweepstakes involves six classes overall, with five divided into bitch and dog categories.
The winner of each class will receive a $200 cheque, with cash prizes paid down to fifth place ($40).
There are four champion categories with a top prize of $500 for the winner of Best Breed, $400 for Best Dog and Best Bitch and $300 for Best of Breed neutered.
Rounding out the awards, a trophy, sash, certificate, and $50 prizemoney for best Junior Handler (under 16).
See General Rose win (below) and compare his size to his opposition!