'Gives me a lot of joy': Trainer dedicates cup glory to part-owners

Matt Loch dazzled the vocal crowd, blitzing the impressive field from box four with a scintillating run of 24.992 to comfortably win the iconic 450-metre race.

The greyhound is affectionately named after two of the sport's biggest fans in Matthew Field and Lachlan Barsby, both living with cerebral palsy, with the pair also having a 25 per cent ownership in the beloved dog, a gesture which provides them with more than just a symbolic connection.

The Avalon-based trainer told The Standard watching Matt Loch deliver the goods on the big stage was about more than just the prize money for her, but the pure joy it provided both Field and Barsby who adore the greyhound.

"To get the little photo of eight-year-old Lachie Barsby with the thumbs up means a lot to me personally and I know how much it means to Matty as well, it puts a real smile on his face," she said.

"It's a bigger thrill than the cheque at the end of the night just to see them happy. Providing them with this opportunity gives me a lot of joy in being able to give back to them a bit."

Mallia revealed Matt Loch was close to never racing again five months ago after a serious tendon injury but managed to make a miraculous comeback.

"I was in tears for about five days when it happened, I knew how good of a pup he was, it was quite heartbreaking at the time," she said.

"For him to take it to the level he took it (tonight) was quite phenomenal to see. To win a group race at Warrnambool with Matt Loch is amazing.

"It's a great feeling for me but for everyone involved with him."

Morton, trained by Lara's Jason Sharp, ran second despite coming into the night as heavy favourite, with Trooper Tears, trained by Robert Britton, finishing in third.

Mallia said Matt Loch executed the race to plan and was "proud of his performance" after impressing in the heat's last week.

"The race panned out kind of how I saw it," she said.

"Matt Loch is a big boy, he's 36kg, so to see him run away from some seriously quality dogs out there is amazing. He's not got a lot of experience so I was really proud of his performance."

It was a huge night of racing, with Carlton 1995 premiership legends Anthony Koutoufides and Ang Christou headlining the entertainment in the full 12-race card.

For full results across the race program head to www.watchdog.grv.org.au