He went from being a Group 1 winner one Friday to an injury enforced retirement the following Friday. The outstanding career of the multiple Group 1 and high strike rate winner Bigtime Paddy came to an end at the Hatrick Raceway on August 17.

Wow, let’s replay that finish! Tuesday’s running of the $12,000 NZRS Advanced final can only be described as spectacular. As a spectacle it was an actioned packed 545m Forbury Park event. At the judge it was the John McInerney prepared Dave’s Dot who strongly prevailed.

Lord Louie has developed into a Forbury Park chasing phenomenon. His seven 545m wins from as many race starts at the venue confirms that.

Last season’s Auckland cup winner Dirk Bale has commenced his new racing season in the same manner he concluded last season – winning a Group 2 457m final. He defied his rivals to run him down in Thursday’s $15,850 Angus Wright Memorial Invitation at the Cambridge Raceway. They couldn’t.

‘Box speed is gold’, is an old saying commonly used in greyhound racing. That asset was clearly illustrated when the Addington 520m traps lifted to release the field for Thursday’s running of the $8,500 NZRS Graduation final. Taking an absolute flyer from trap four was the Ashley Bradshaw prepared Ming Ming.

Pictured: Ming Ming cruising to her pace making Thursday NZRS Graduation victory (pic Dave Robbie)

It was an electric start that the $21.70 outsider Ming Ming made and in doing so she took the thick end of the stake away from her rivals as she maintained her searching gallop, with her rivals chasing in vain after her, to claim her biggest career win by a two length margin when stopping the clock in 30.58s.

It was a clean sweep of the winning portion of the stake for Bradshaw as she bred this daughter of Dream Collector and Hard Habits therefore she receives the winning Breeders’ bonus component associated with this NZRS final for her charge who she races in partnership with her partner Pete Seque.

Know Shame was the quickest (30.22s) of the previous week’s heat winners for her breeder and trainer Gary Cleeve. This daughter of Yella Mustard and Know Revenge pushed up to get handy to the pace when racing into the first turn. She kept up a solid gallop to claim her second placing.

Hugging the rail throughout after settling back in the field was the Bob Pringle owned and trained Replica Casino. It was heady effort from this son of Jinjarango and Smash Kingdom as his strong railing tactics saw him being rewarded with the third placing, a further 1.25 lengths behind.

This race was all about the explosive early pace that Ming Ming deployed and using similar pace like this can see her quickly adding to the five career wins she has now achieved. She has placed in another ten races which now sees her career stake earnings sitting at $12,930 from her 27 race day outings.

 
Race handler and co-owner Pete Seque with the Christchurch GRC hosted NZRS Graduation 520m winner Ming Ming. The full Addington NZRS podium with winner Ming Ming being flanked by runner up Know Shame and the third placed Replica Casino - pics supplied by Dave Robbie – drobbie91@gmail.com – 021 607 869 for all your South Island race photos

By Peter Fenemor

It’s a real cracker of a Thursday afternoon meeting at the Cambridge Raceway with a strong 13 race card presented. Spearheading the meeting is the annual running of the $15,825 Angus Wright Memorial Invitation at Group 2 level over 457m. It’s an intriguing field that has been invited to contest this event.

Drawing the inside and outside traps has strongly enhanced the winning claims held by the two quickest 520m heat winners for Thursday’s running of the $8,500 NZRS Novice final at the Addington Raceway.

Alex Attack was crowned as the Auckland GRC 2017/18 Greyhound of the Year at the Manukau Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Trained by Jared Udy and Denise Cottam and raced by Jared, Alex Attack, who was a giveaway greyhound, performed very consistently over the 318m sprint at the Auckland headquarters throughout the season.

Over the years the lethal racing partnership of owner and breeder Gary Haring and trainer Karen Walsh has combined to win many, many feature races. It was no different for the pair at the Auckland Sunday meeting when Talkabout Missy stylishly prevailed in the $8,500 NZRS Graduation final.

The box draw for Sunday’s $8,500 NZRS Graduation final at the Manukau Stadium has thrown up a number of intriguing possible scenarios on how this 527m event could pan out for the Kiwi bred intermediate graded chasers.

Since posting the Points Winners below there has been some discussion regarding the Dam and Sire of the Year winners. Both of those announced were NZ BRED and in line with GRNZ's focus on developing NZ bloodstock and rewarding New Zealand bred greyhounds.

Bigtime Paddy is the consummate canine athlete. On Friday evening at the Hatrick Raceway the Lisa Cole mentored class act extended her current winning streak out to nine wins, while annexing his third career Group 1 victory in the $27,465 Palamountains Nutrition Wanganui Cup over 520m.

It was apparent with a lap of the Hatrick track to race that Dusty Gambler was going to maintain his unbeaten 755m record in the River City when he secured the race lead in Friday’s running of the $15,825 Wanganui Stayers.

Dusty Gambler is seeking to maintain his three race Hatrick unbeaten record over the 755m distance when he lines up in Friday’s running of the $15,825 Wanganui Stayers final for his conditioner Karen Walsh.

It’s a real mouthwatering clash that looms during the charge into the all important first turn in Friday’s $27,465 Palamountains Nutrition Wanganui Cup. A pair of classy Group 1 title holders are set slug it out in a direct paw to paw wrestle from the two inside traps.

The $5,500 Garrard’s Horse & Hound Canterbury OTB Maiden has long been regarded as the launching pad to higher honours for numerous greyhounds who have contested this Canterbury OTB organized event for many, many years. A glance back to previous winners of this 520m race sees the names of classy greyhounds on the race roll of honour.

It was the Angela Turnwald prepared New Zealand Cup title holder Nature’s Gent who returned the fastest Wanganui Cup 520m qualifying time from the three heats held at the Hatrick Raceway on Friday evening

“She has got me super excited,” commented Craig Roberts about his great looking stayer Dyna Weslyn. He has every right to be hyped up about her, as on Thursday evening Dyna Weslyn inked her name into the Addington 645m record book with her stunning 37.68s clock.

It’s straight into Group racing to kick start the new racing season at the Hatrick Raceway with heats being held for two Black type events. The 520m chasers will contest three 520m heats for the Wanganui Cup at Group 1 level, while the stayers front up for a pair of Group 2 755m Wanganui Stayers heats

Checking into a Fijian resort on Tuesday afternoon cost Canterbury trainer Craig Roberts the opportunity from watching his greyhound Dirk Bale winning the Far South Challenge at Group 2 level in Invercargill.

It was a pair of kennel mates who dominated last Thursday afternoon’s Waikato hosted $11,470 NZRS Advanced final over 457m, while later that evening two feature 520m $7,500 Restricted Age races wrapped up the featured racing action for the 2017/18 racing season at the Addington Raceway.