In just over 10 hours' time Dorotas Wildcat will begin his defence of The Star Sports, ARC & LPS Greyhound Derby in Nottingham.
The four-year-old landed the pinnacle prize of the sport in a blistering 28.85 seconds last year and is favourite to repeat that feat and become just the fifth dog in history to win back-to-back titles.
'Dorotas Wildcat is the Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo,' trainer Kevin Hutton hails the 2018 Derby hero. 'He knows he's the top dog, he keeps them all in check.'
Dorotas Wildcat will begin defence of The Star Sports, ARC & LPS Greyhound Derby on Friday
Hutton has won three Trainers Championships but last summer saw him lift the most coveted trophy in greyhound racing.
However that success was overshadowed by five of his dogs being stolen from his kennels – they were all later found - in Oxfordshire during the heats.
Sportsmail went behind the scenes to see Hutton's operation, in the picturesque town of Burford, in action as he looks to claim a second Derby crown.
Sportsmail's Kate McGreavy was given a behind-the-scenes tour of Kevin Hutton's kennels
Each day begins with a morning stretch in the paddocks at 7.15am for Hutton's 65 charges.
'Routine is very important to greyhounds so you want to try to do everything at the same time,' he says.
The spacious kennels are cleaned and tidied every morning before the canine athletes carry out their training regime.
Exercising all the greyhounds at Hutton's operation can last up to two hours and before feeding time they are groomed and given treatment if they have sustained injuries.
All 65 of Hutton's dogs have duvets at his training base in the town of Burford, Oxfordshire
Meals are served at 2pm while the remainder of the afternoons are dedicated to allowing the dogs outside in the paddocks. If a dog is racing on a day it will be given a smaller portion and then fed properly after returning from the track.
The kennels shut up shop for the evening at around 8.30pm when Hutton travels a few miles down the road to his home in Minster Lovell. His 'pets' can then hit the sack, but it is not just any old sack - all 65 dogs have duvets.
'They're worked hard because racing is the end result, but you get really attached to them,' Hutton says.
'We were one of the first to start using duvets, traditionally it was always straw or paper bedding. We just couldn't get on with it, it was so messy. They've all been on duvets for 10-12 years.'
Since the theft last year Hutton has installed 16 CCTV cameras which he can access on his phone and there is a member of staff on site for 24 hours.
Every day:
60lb beef
30lb chicken
15kg biscuit
Extras: Egg, honey, seaweed, sunflower oil, sardines
After pressing the 'Hutton button' to enter the premises, a huge wheelbarrow and a large container are visible in the main building.
The wheelbarrow is filled with fresh cooked beef mixed with a biscuit base while the container consists of chicken.
'Unless you're putting the best grub into them you can do all the walking and galloping you want but if they're not getting the right food, you're wasting your time really,' Hutton
