The ultimate success in any of the racing codes is to own or train a Group race winner. Attaining that feat is a moment to truly savour. To achieve Group race victories on 100 occasions is a truly astonishing accomplishment.
Three very classy greyhounds have been announced as 2016/17 New Zealand Greyhound of the Year finalists. The winner of the Code’s ultimate accolade will be revealed in Invercargill during the awards evening on 16 September.
New Zealand greyhound racing history was created at the Cambridge Raceway on Thursday afternoon when Dave and Jean Fahey trained their 100th Group race winner.
He lobbed handy to the pace, he secured his favoured rails passage and he extended nicely during the run home. It was a quite simple scenario for the classy stayer Ring The Bell for him to claim his fourth Group race title win since he crossed the Tasman when he strolled to his Kingston Cup victory on Thursday evening.
It will be the eight trap at the Addington 732m start where most eyes will be focused when the traps lift to release the field for the $15,825 Kingston Cup final on Thursday evening at Group 2 level. Exiting from that trap will be the classy stayer Ring The Bell.
She is smart, a very smart greyhound. The manner in which the exciting chasing prospect Cristiane Cyborg delivered her effortless win in Sunday’s $8,400 NZRS Graduation final at the Manukau Stadium certainly confirmed those thoughts.
The late Quaddie at the Manukau Stadium on Sunday afternoon will be guaranteed to $10,000. Realistically that Quaddie has turned into a Treble owing the presence of the exciting chaser Cristiane Cyborg lining up in the second leg of it (Race 11).
An awkward start coupled with a slight stumble from the 732m traps saw the eight race winning sequence in New Zealand by the classy stayer Ring The Bell finishing in his heat for the $15,825 Kingston Cup at the Addington Raceway on Thursday evening.
Mention the Kingston name in greyhound racing and you immediately think of Canterbury greyhounds. The family has been actively involved in the code and in the region since the 1940’s - strongly shaping the way forward until the present day.
It’s pretty tough to win Group 1 races over 520m when giving the bulk of your rivals a start, especially when a proven Group race performer is out in front controlling the pace.
“I was a bit worried during the first 100 meters but once he got the lead he had it won and I was able to relax,” commented master conditioner Ray Adcock about yet another dominant Group race victory his charge Ring The Bell produced on Friday evening.
It sure was a ‘Bigtime’ 2016/17 racing season for trainer Lisa Cole. The new season has commenced in the same stylish manner for the Palmerston North based conditioner as seen by her qualifying four finalists for Friday’s $27,450 Wanganui Cup Final.
During an interview for Friday’s $15,825 Wanganui Stayers Final a trainer suggested tongue-in-cheek, “Why doesn’t greyhound racing have handicaps like they do in the horse codes? We might have a winning chance then.”
As mentioned in the latest edition of the On Track magazine, the trophies for two national trainer’s awards will have a pair of new names inscribed on them.
Strong on the pace 520m heat efforts were rewarded with final field positions for Friday’s $26,500 Wanganui Cup. Prior to those trio of Group 1 heats the two Wanganui Stayers 755m heats saw contrasting wins being delivered in the Group 2 event.
Three compelling 520m heats will decide the finalists for the August 11 $26,500 Wanganui Cup final at the Hatrick Raceway on Friday evening which commences the new season Group 1 racing action.
