Rich race series for new auction

Set to unfold in October-November 2025, the series will boast a total prize pool exceeding $200,000.

The final will instantly become the fourth most lucrative prize in NSW greyhound racing.

The only events with bigger payouts to pursue will be the Ladbrokes Million Dollar Chase ($1 million), the Ladbrokes 715 ($500,000), and the Ladbrokes Golden Easter Egg ($350,000).

GRNSW chief executive officer Rob Macaulay said he was delighted to introduce the new feature, which he expects will attract huge interest from syndicators along with a new wave of owners.

"The auction and race series is timed perfectly for our upcoming announcement of a new syndication initiative," he said.

"There has never been a better time to get involved in the sport with prize money at record levels, and with a new syndication model imminent this will provide the ideal, easy entry point for newcomers who want to get into the sport.

"While we have had steady growth in syndication participation over the past few years, we expect that to surge with the introduction of the auction and race series."

The Auction Race Series will be exclusive to greyhounds auctioned at the 2024 GRNSW Puppy Auction on May 26 at Richmond. It will be open to pups born between July 1, 2023, and January 31, 2024.

Auctions have proven a big hit in greyhound racing over the past 25 years.

Dapto and Richmond race clubs have staged successful Puppy Auctions in the past, with the most recent being the Gold Muzzle Auction at Richmond in June 2019.

The associated race series for graduates of auctions have given rise to stars of the racetrack, such as Flying Riccardo, Thirty Talks and Mister Twister.

"There has been overwhelming support for the return of an auction, something which hasn't been seen since before COVID-19," Mr Macaulay said.

"It has been extremely well received by both the potential vendors - the breeders - and potential buyers."

Apart from racing prize money on offer, there will be a number of bonuses for breeders, with $1,000 paid to the breeder of the winner, and $250 to the breeder of each of the other finalists the GRNSW Auction Race Series.

Breeders will also receive a bonus of $500 for each pup that has its first race start in NSW, and a bonus of $500 for each pup that has its first race win in NSW.

While the auction will be held at Richmond, the venue for the race series is yet to be determined.

The series will consist of heats, semi-finals (if required) and a final, and prize money allocation for the heats and semi-finals will be in line with the current TAB Non-Graded class prize money schedule - or its equivalent - irrespective of how many heats and or semi-finals are conducted.

"While Puppy Auctions have been very successful in the past, I think with the current prize money levels in the sport, and such a lucrative series attached to this auction, we are likely to see some spirited bidding come May 26," Mr Macaulay said.

Full details of the Puppy Auction and the Auction Race Series can be found on thedogs.com.au.

This article was produced as part of an ACM partnership with Greyhound Racing NSW.

First timers taste of Group 1 glory

Less than three weeks into 2024 and the first Group 1 events have provided two trainers with the biggest highlights of their careers.

Colin Bermingham and Tom Rees each tasted their first success at the sport's Everest, Colin winning the Paws of Thunder with Dutch Riot and Tom taking out the National Derby with History's Coming at Wentworth Park on January 20.

And while it wasn't her first victory at the elite level, it was also a very emotional night for Minnie Finn when her greyhound Gets Late Early won the National Futurity.

The win was the first since the passing of Minnie's husband, legendary trainer John Finn. Minnie also trained third placegetter in the Futurity, Ain't Waiting, with the pair split by Hurricane Reign who is trained by Tom Rees.

Group 1 Ricci

Flying Ricciardo was a superstar on the racetrack and he's continued his success at stud with Gets Late Early providing him with his first Group 1 success as a sire.

The win was also a breeding success for Gets Late Early's dam Poco Dorado. While she was a staying star on the racetrack winning 32 times, she was unable to win a Group 1 despite making eight Group 1 finals. She now has that Group 1 success as a dam. It was also successful for Poco's owners Denis Donoghue and Peter McDermott who own Gets Late Early and Ain't Waiting.

Martini Bale?

Still in the breeding barn and the very talented bitch French Martini, winner of the Group 2 Black Top and a finalist in the Million Dollar Chase in 2022, has had her first litter. She whelped a litter of five dogs and three bitches to champion sire Fernando Bale on January 8.

Cup again

It's rare but it's not uncommon for a dog to win the same feature event two years in a row, but it happened in early January in the Wauchope Cup.

In January 2023, the Tony Forbes-trained Weffalee Shield gained start as first reserve when another runner was scratched. He took full advantage of the opportunity and won the $10,000 first prize.

Fast forward a year and again Weffalee Shield was a reserve for the Wauchope Cup, he again gained a start after a scratching, and again he won the $10,000 prize wearing the green and white striped number 9 rug.

River races

GRNSW has unveiled two new middle-distances feature events to be staged in February in the Northern Rivers.

Both events will be run as a series with heats and then a final worth $25,000 to the winner, and each series has been programmed in the lead-up to the world's richest middle-distance event, the $125,000 Ladbrokes Country Classic.

The new events will be run at Casino and Grafton, and both series will be named after the iconic rivers synonymous with the two great regional greyhound towns - The Richmond at Casino and The Clarence at Grafton.