Monday afternoon’s $6,000 Auckland Anniversary Day Cup provided a fleeting glance to what Manukau patrons can look forward to with the 527 heats for the $87,965 Plasterboard Auckland Cup rapidly looming.

“Ablett is such a professional race dog. He is an absolute gentleman around the kennels who takes everything in his stride,” commented trainer Craig Roberts about his current kennel star Allen Ablett following his outstanding last stride win in last Friday’s $27,465 Hatrick Classic.

It’s an interesting field of open class greyhounds who will line up to contest the $6,000 Anniversary Day Cup at the Manukau Stadium during Monday’s Auckland holiday weekend meeting. Included in the field are two of the finalists from Friday’s enthralling Group 1 Hatrick Classic decider.

The rush into the all-important first turn is likely to have a strong bearing on the race outcome in Tuesday’s $7,340 NZRS Novice final at Forbury Park. Five 545m heats held two weeks ago has brought together a field that contains a mixed blend of experience at the C0/1 level.

It is a Dave and Jean Fahey dominated field for Tuesday’s running of the $15,825 Colin Keen Memorial. The Canterbury couple qualified five greyhounds for the Group 2 final when two 545m heats was held on the Forbury Park track two weeks ago for this event that remembers the long term racing administrator for the southern region.

It’s looming as a ‘big time’ occasion for Friday’s running of the $8,400 NZRS Sprint Final with seven of the ten listed finalists carrying the Bigtime naming prefix for Friday’s 305m feature dash.

It is my great pleasure on behalf of the Board of Greyhound Racing New Zealand (GRNZ) to announce the appointment of Mauro Barsi to the position of Chief Executive of GRNZ.

Wow! What an absolute quality field of greyhounds that will be loaded away into the Hatrick 520m traps for Friday’s $27,465 Hatrick Classic at Group 1 level. It is a field that simply oozes class as illustrated by last Friday’s three quickly-run 520m heats.

It was a Dave and Jean Fahey training double when they mentored both 545m heat winners for the Group 2 Colin Keen Memorial on Forbury Park last week. The recent imported Aussie chaser Shallay Pallay took out the first heat, while the promising Junk Mail prevailed in the other heat. The couple also produced two of the five NZRS Novice heat winners held on the support card.

Absolute quality Group 1 chasing action is assured at the Hatrick Raceway after eight high class greyhounds booked their final field positions for Friday’s $27,465 Hatrick Classic after three swiftly run 520m heats held last Friday decided the finalists.

Opawa Brad is a greyhound who quietly keeps on ticking over delivering competitive races without, aside from one occasion, really attracting the headlines. Therefore it was a thoroughly deserved NZRS Graduation victory for a greyhound of Brad’s nature to annex Thursday’s edition of the $8,400 final.

Three mouthwatering heats will be paraded to the Hatrick Raceway 520m traps on Friday evening to contest the heats for the second running of the $27,465 Hatrick Classic at Group 1 level.

Two rather competitive 545m heats for the Otago club’s flagship race, the Colin Keen Memorial at Group 2 level on Tuesday at Forbury Park will decide the finalists for the $15,825 January 30 final. Supporting the open class chasers on the card will be the five $7,340 NZRS Novice 545m heats

Visiting greyhounds dominated Thursday’s Waikato hosted $8,400 NZRS Graduation final at the Cambridge Raceway with just two northern trained chasers booking final field positions following last week’s three 457m heats.

Pre-race discussions for Thursday’s Christchurch hosted NZRS Advanced final centered on the claims held by the previous week’s two 520m heat winners Tom Tee and Vikings. The pair of talented chasers certainly didn’t disappoint with both of them dominating the $11,470 final throughout.

Last Friday’s Cambridge action was chocker full of quality support card feature racing over three different race distances which provided the back up to the feature Group 2 $20,825 Farmlands Hatupu Waikato Classic decider.

Tom Tee powerfully announced his arrival back on his home Addington track when he produced yet another sub 30 second gallop over the 520m trip when securing his smart 29.88s heat win for Thursday’s $11,470 NZRS Advanced final.

Me Jane had to be tough – real tough to nail her pace-making Farmlands Hatupu Waikato Classic victory at the Cambridge Raceway last Friday evening. The $20,825 Group 2 457m event turned into a real torrid finish which ultimately required four greyhounds to attend the post race podium.

The Waikato GRC hosted New Year meeting is regarded as a “Night of Chasing Stars” and this Friday’s meeting at the Cambridge Raceway certainly confirms that fact with a race card that is stacked full of feature chasing events.

The Farmlands Hautapu Waikato Classic has always been a keenly contested New Year Group 2 457m event that has seen numerous Classic Aged greyhounds go onto to make their presence strongly felt in a wide range of later Group race events. The field for this Friday’s $20,825 decider contains numerous promising up and coming chasers.

Two 520m heats for the Kiwi bred chasers at the Addington Raceway on Thursday evening will decide the finalists who will advance through to the Christchurch hosted January 11 $11,470 NZRS Advanced final.

It’s all about the Kiwi bred endurance based canine athletes at Cambridge on Friday evening as they embark on their 747m marathon in the $11,455 NZRS Distance final. It’s tough assignment on this big, sweeping circuit which requires the contenders to draw deep on their stamina reserves.