Bad hare day at Australian greyhound stadium

She just could be the smartest greyhound in Australia - a loveable hound who knows the difference between a real rabbit and a stuffed toy. A dog named Ginny Lou stunned punters when she did a bizarre mid-race turn and set off in hot pursuit of a live bunny which had dashed on to the track. Punters who braved a bitterly cold night at Shepparton in country Victoria could not believe their eyes when Ginny Lou, running a clear third, vanished from the rest of the field towards the outside fence.



Racing officials were forced to declare the Finer Fruit Stakes (390m) a non-race. Bookies refunded all bets on the race. Ginny Lou had been paying $22.80 for the win on the TAB and $3.70 a place. Ground staff last night continued to search for the pesky intruder, who escaped.

Trainer Scott Stefanos didn't know whether to laugh or cry about the incident and said he was unhappy he didn't collect the $75 in prize money for the minor placing. "Ginny Lou is pretty smart because she's the only dog who set off after the real thing," Stefanos said, who had a mixed night at Shepparton - training a winning double but also having a dog break down. It's a shame she didn't get rewarded for her efforts. The lure must have scared the rabbit because it's come from underneath the inside fence, took a couple of strides towards the dogs, realised it was going the wrong way and then darted across the track.



"Ginny Lou has slammed on the brakes and off she went. To her credit she thought she was doing the right thing, then had the nous to carry on and join the rest of the field. I thought she had fallen at first, but a few people watching it on the screen said she'd gone after a real rabbit. I thought they were having a lend." Shepparton club president John Martin could not explain where the rabbit had come from and said he had never seen such an incident. "We've got fulltime staff here who are still looking for that damn rabbit," Martin said.