Could you hear them cheering?
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Forbes owned and trained Palawa King was named NSW Greyhound of the Year on Thursday evening - and then backed up to win a Group 1 race on Saturday.
"Over the moon" were the sentiments of owner Errol Hughes after the victories - and we're sure that would carry across all involved with this champion.
In 2023 Palawa King won three Group 1 finals, all at interstate venues, with a total 14 wins and 17 places in 37 races for the year.
He was a 10-time Group race finalist, winning the Group 3 Origin Distance Final. He placed third in the world's richest staying event, The Ladbrokes 715, and fourth in the Group 1 National Derby.
Making success all the sweeter is the all-Forbes team that's brought him this far: Errol and Wendy Hughes bred Palawa King and had him as a pup, then took him out to Jack and Maree Smith at Irinka Kennels to train and race him.
Errol, who saw the dog's potential in early trials, paid tribute to Wendy for her early work with the pup and Jack as trainer.
Palawa King has now joined the honours board of some incredibly special dogs for Irinka Kennels in more than three decades of training for Raymond (Jack) and Maree Smith.
He is the third Smith-trained dog to be named NSW Greyhound of the Year: they took out the title with their own Irinka Barbie in 2004 and then again with Jungle Deuce in 2022.
Add in the likes of Feral Franky - Palawa King's sire - and they're no strangers to champions, or to seeing them reach their potential on track.
The annual awards was a wonderful time to reflect and celebrate, not only the Greyhound of the Year but also the trainers, volunteers and young achievers.
For Maree, celebrating with the Hughes made it all the more special.
"We can't have the success we have unless we have those dogs given to us to train," she said.
Watching Palawa King claim another victory on Saturday night just capped it all off.
The stayer seemingly came from nowhere on the inside to win the Fanta Bale Stayers at The Meadows.
"When the rest of them are getting tired he's just winding up," Errol said with a chuckle. "I call him 'the spook' ... they must be wondering where he is and he all of a sudden appears."
They're also preparing for a slightly shorter race at Dubbo before the Association Cup at Wentworth which is back to Palawa King's preferred distance over 700m.
Chief Executive Officer Rob Macaulay of Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW) said the season has produced some of the most 'remarkable wins' across 2023, including Palawa King's win at the Group 1 Fanta Bale Stayers heats.
"On behalf of GRNSW I want to congratulate Errol Hughes, Jack and Maree Smith and of course Palawa King, on joining some of the superstars of our sport as winners of the NSW Greyhound of the Year award," GRNSW said.
"Palawa King is a truly deserving winner of this prestigious award. He enthralled and excited racegoers with his come from behind style of racing each time he stepped onto the track."
