Congratulations to all our winners on Saturday night. It was fantastic to see everyone there and we hope a good night was had by all.
Sprinter of the Year - Wheelchair Norm
Wheelchair Norm dominated the Forbury Park 310m and Ascot Park 390m sprints all season long. In doing so the John McInerney prepared speed merchant defied his official veteran age status,he was whelped February 2013, by accumulating 117 points to easily defend his GRNZ Sprinter of the Year title he won last season.
Middle Distance Greyhound of the Year - Bigtime Paddy
Bigtime Paddy produced searing mid race sectionals in his races and it was using that tactic that ensured he maintained his high winning strike rate. His 196 points accumulation from 54 races (excluding Australia) came via 33 wins and 16 minor placings resulting in a handsome $182,582 in stake earnings, the highest by any greyhound for the season for his owners Lisa Cole and Craig Rendle.
Distance Greyhound of the Year - Ring The Bell
Ring The Bell amassed 74 points in the season which was sufficient for him to take out the NZ Distance title by a 13 point margin. Included in Ring The Bell’s 13 wins for the season was his powerful Duke Of Edinburgh Silver Collar victory, over the demanding 779m journey. He became the first greyhound to secure back-to-back victories in this prestigious staying event.
NZ Bred Greyhound of the Year - Bigtime Paddy
The complete dominance that Bigtime Paddy held over his Kiwi bred rivals is strongly illustrated by the 196 points he accrued in this category.
Dam of the Year - Allegro Star
During the season Allegro Star was represented by 18 individual runners with all of them winning races. Between them they contested 573 races which resulted in the various connections/handlers being required to provide the judge with the winning salute on 119 occasions. The siblings combined to win $283,035 in stake earnings.
Sire of the Year - Yella Mustard
45 of his 71 sired runners who raced during the season won races. Between them his sons and daughters contested 1,391 races, resulting in 120 race victories. Yella Mustard’s progeny combined to win $329,524 in stakes.
Trainer of the Year - Lisa Cole
When the season concluded, an astounding 803 race winners were listed beside Lisa Cole’s name. Cole’s final tally actually equaled the national trainer’s record for a season.
Strike Rate Trainer of the Year - Karen Walsh
Karen Walsh paraded 37 different greyhounds to the traps during the season, who combined to contest 332 races. She returned with the race winner on 121 occasions. A further 53 second placings, along with 56 third places saw Walsh completing the season with the astonishing UDR figure of 0.5094.
Love Our Dogs Award - Karen Walsh
Karen is described as a lover of greyhounds and the greyhounds themselves are her family. Karen is adamant that every greyhound deserves a life after their racing career is finished and she has nursed many an injured dog back to good health, so that they can be rehomed.
NZ Breeder of the Year - Lisa and Brendon Cole
The breeding program that was implemented by the Bigtime Kennels saw a profound influence established amongst the New Zealand bred greyhounds with five of the top ten finishers in the New Zealand Bred Greyhound of the Year points category.
Youth Award - Mark Lin
Mark Lin normally sited handling at Addington Raceway is also actively involved in rehoming former chasers and he lives with a number of retired greyhounds. He has also successfully turned his hand to breeding litters.
Advocate of the Year - Mark Rosanowski
Roso has consistently maintained his huge enthusiasm for the greyhound code. He constantly sought and stood for every possible advantage for the greyhound code throughout the season. Mark Rosanowski is the consummate professional and a greyhound racing resource and advocate without equal.
Club of the Year - Christchurch GRC
Innovative thinking and planning is a strong point with the Christchurch GRC with the club renowned for introducing initiatives that not only benefit their members but also for the industry as a whole nationwide.
Greyhound of the Year - Bigtime Paddy
The Lisa Cole mentored Bigtime Paddy enjoyed a brilliant 2017/18 racing season for his owners Lisa Cole and Craig Rendle. Over the season he qualified for and contested eight of the nine Group 1 races available to him. The only Group 1 race Paddy didn’t contest was the New Zealand Cup owing to him being in Melbourne at the time where he ran a creditable fourth in a heat of the rich Melbourne Cup.
His two Group 1 wins came in the Waterloo Cup and the NZ Derby. He was the runner up in the Hatrick Classic and the NZ Breeders’ Stakes and his third placing came in the Wanganui Cup. Bigtime Paddy concluded his season with his stunning victory in the late July $60,000 Formpro Amazing Chasing 520m match race series.
There were also two inductees into the Hall of Fame:
Thrilling Brat
It was an astounding career that Thrilling Brat enjoyed for his owner and breeder Gary Harding. He raced on 54 occasions on both sides of the Tasman. 27 wins and 16 minor placings saw him hanging up muzzle with his stake earnings sitting at $228,243.
Thayne Green
Thayne Green has enjoyed a long and very successful involvement in greyhound racing spanning in excess of four decades. During that time he has owned and trained numerous classy greyhounds, however it was his period as an administrator at the very highest level where he really made his mark.
