Neck, neck and ...neck From top, Killishin Masai, Droopy Djokovic and Ayamzagirl hit the finish line together in the triple dead heat at Romford Stadium , East London

The Norfolk trainer of a greyhound involved in a triple dead-heat said, as he waited for the result, he was convinced his dog had been beaten.

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As Droopys Djokovic used his last remaining energy to push his nose over the finish line, there was not a whisker in it.

After 925m and 59.53 seconds hurtling round a track, he and two of his fellow greyhounds had ended the race in a triple dead heat – at odds of tens of millions to one.

The dog, nicknamed “DJ” started his racing career at Great Yarmouth Stadium. Yesterday his trainer, Jim Daly said he had been convinced that DJ was pipped at the post.

It took officials 10 minutes to come to the conclusion that Droopys Djokovic, Ayamzagirl and Killishan Masai had crossed the line at exactly the same time at Romford Stadium.

Fans had expected the 8.50pm race to be close, after the three dogs had scooped first, second, and third places at a meeting at Hall Green in Birmingham just a week before.

Mr Daly said he was not holding out much hope as officials studied photographs of the finish..

“In the end they made the right decision, but it was a real job for them to decide,” said the 41-year-old who is based at Summer Lane Kennels in Carbrooke, near Watton.

Bill Johnson, racing manager at Great Yarmouth Stadium, where Mark Wallis, trainer of Ayamzamgirl, is also a regular face, said Wednesday’s race was “the talk of the greyhound world”.

“It’s as rare as winning the lottery,” he said. “I don’t think, in the nearly 50 years I have been in the job, I have ever seen it happen.”

The feat was made all the more astonishing because it took place over the longest distance covered by greyhounds.

The 925m, or 3,000ft, race is the equivalent of a marathon for the dogs and is usually enough to separate the six competitors.

David Stevens, of bookie Coral, said the odds of it happening were “tens of millions to one”.

Have you got a story for the Evening News? Call reporter David Freezer on 01603 772418 or email david.freezer@archant.co.uk