Three Selected for Hall of Fame Induction

A record setting greyhound and a pair of racing industry leaders have been tabbed for induction into the Greyhound Hall of Fame this coming fall.  David Blair's super sprinter, Bella Infrared along with track officials Tim Leuschner and Dan Luciano will be inducted in October of this year.

Whelped in Abilene, Kansas, Bella Infrared was raised on the David Blair farm just a few minutes' drive from the National Greyhound Association. His owner, David Blair said that Infrared was "kind of small, for a male, but was super smart, he always knew what was going on." David has long said that Infrared was the best greyhound he ever raised, or saw, for that matter.

       Infrared was born on July 3, 2009 and began his racing career with a win in his first official start on January 5, 2011.  Just six races later he would reach the top grade of racing (AA) and never drop out of top level competition again in his career. He would win a track leading thirty four races in 2011 including the Southland Hound Madness Stake.  He also finished 3rd in the Southland Derby Consolation and Chris Chance Memorial. In October of that year he would break the Southland 5/16 mile course record, the first of three times he would accomplish that feat. He would make 2nd team All American for his efforts in 2011.

       His 2012 racing season was possibly more impressive.  He would repeat as track champion winning thirty seven races. He would capture the 2012 Southland Derby and was a finalist in the Southland RCL Million Dollar Series. His 37 wins included a stretch where he won nineteen races in a row while breaking the track record two more times. His winning time of 31.14 on December 8, 2012 shattered his existing track record stands today as the fastest time ever recorded at Southland for a 5/16 mile race. He was named Captain of the 2012 All American Team.

         While his stellar racing career is the primary reason why Infrared has been inducted, his brief sire career makes his honor all the more impressive. Infrared produced many outstanding offspring, including numerous stake winners and All-Americans such as Salud Raindrop, FGF Chisum and Kind Cruel Red.  He has made his mark around the world as well producing many stakes and group winners in Australia.

Longtime track racing official and operator, Tim Leuschner 's love of dogs began at an early age along with his love of greyhound racing when he became a leadout at Mile High Kennel Club in 1968 while attending the University of Colorado. He earned his degree in International Relations and while he never pursued a career in Government, he certainly became an ambassador for greyhound racing. He worked his way up through the ranks in the Racing Department.  He also worked in the mutuel departments at Interstate and Cloverleaf Kennel Clubs and did a stint on the maintenance crew at Interstate.  in 1972 he became the Racing Secretary at Interstate.  From 1972 to 1977 he worked the circuit of tracks owned by the Lindsay/Ross team including Mile High, Pueblo, Sodrac, Interstate and Taunton.   In 1977 he was named as the Racing Secretary at the new Lincoln Greyhound Park and by 1986 was promoted to Assistant General Manager at the Rhode Island facility.

In 1993 he headed south to become the Director of Simulcasting for the Jacksonville racing circuit. There he helped create one of the largest simulcast networks in the world with the circuit's races being broadcast throughout the U.S. as well as in Mexico, Latin America, the Caribbean and as far away as Hong Kong. He served in that position as well as Director of Industry Relations for the Jacksonville group until his retirement in 2018.

Tim also served the greyhound industry in helping to create the annual Greyhound Night of Stars of which he became the host of the television broadcast of the event throughout its tenure. He also traveled the world promoting the sport not only for simulcasting but in speaking to groups around the world such as the World Greyhound Racing Federation, the University of Arizona's Racing Symposium, Greyhound Pets of America and various other racing and welfare related gatherings.

He served on the Board of the American Greyhound Track Operators Association for many years including as its President from 2010-2012. He is still a Board member of the American Greyhound Council and was a past President of that organization. He remains a Board member of the Greyhound Hall of Fame and has been a regular at NGA meets for many years.

Dedicated to the overall betterment of the sport, Tim has been a staunch supporter of greyhound welfare and adoption throughout his career and has been President of Greyhounds as Pets of Northeast Florida for the past 23 years. He has adopted many greyhounds during his career including All American Burt Road.

Another long tenured track official and operator, Dan Luciano has also been tabbed for induction. Dan, a native of Massachusetts, was introduced to the sport when he received a greyhound as a pet in 1965.Not long after that he became a kennel helper for the Discolo Kennel and eventually  became the kennel's trainer at Wonderland and Bonita Springs.

After leaving the kennel side of the business, Dan embarked on a long career in track management starting as a racing official at Seabrook and working his way up through the ranks, eventually managing at some of the country's top facilities including Geneva Lakes, Dubuque, Plainfield and Phoenix.

His time at Phoenix began in 1992 when he was also named President of American Greyhound Racing which represented all of Delaware North's tracks. He was always an active member of The American Greyhound Track Operator's Association and served as its President from 2002 to 2004. Dan is credited to bringing the innovative "stretch vest" racing blanket to America while at Phoenix in 2000. Dan is also credited with the first use of the bone-shaped lure (at Plainfield) which would go on to be used at numerous track around the country.

Dan was one of the best track operators in America, in part because he went the extra mile to associate personally and professionally with the greyhound racing community itself.  His relationship with the NGA and greyhound owners and breeders helped lead also to his selection to serve on such important boards as the American Greyhound Council and the Greyhound Hall of Fame, where he still sits to this day.

As an early greyhound pet owner, Dan has actively supported greyhound adoption programs wherever he worked and is especially proud of his affiliation with Arizona Adopt a Greyhound. Dan and his late wife, Sidra, were owners of pet greyhounds for some 40 years, virtually throughout Dan's lifetime career in racing.

Dan was also active in his community wherever he may have been residing during his racing career such as serving on various boards including United Cerebral Palsy of Central Arizona, the Phoenix Lions Club, Arizona Town Hall and Gateway Community College Citizens Advisory.

These three worthy recipients will all be honored in ceremonies at the Hall of Fame in Abilene on Thursday, October 16, 2025.