It sure is an interesting month of greyhound racing looming with the qualifying periods for three national features getting underway which leads into their respective finals. Qualifying for the $60,000 Amazing Chase series has now seen action at all three qualifying venues. This week also sees the heat rounds for the $50,000 New Zealand Nationals Middle Distance greyhounds scheduled for four venues.
Pictured: Dyna Dave who is currently leading the Addington 520m Amazing Chase qualifying times
It’s fantastic to see New Zealand trained greyhounds involved in the Australian Nationals series for the first time. The Australian Nationals are rotated around six Australian States on an annual basis. Sprint (middle distance) and Distance finals will be contested in Perth on August 24. Both finals are at Group 1 level and carry an A$75,000 winning stake.
Forbury Park (Tuesday), Addington (Thursday), Hatrick (Friday) and Manukau (Sunday) are set down to host heats for the Sprint series (middle distance) during the week ahead. The first four placed greyhounds in each heat will advance to contest semi-finals at Addington and Hatrick the following week where the Stayers will join into the series as they also contest semi-finals at the same venues.
The first four greyhounds to finish in each semi will then converge at the Addington Raceway on August 8 to contest the 520m and 732m finals with both of them offering a $50,000 stake. The winner of each NZ final will then represent New Zealand greyhound racing in Perth.
The Forbury Park heat (race 11) features the presence of the current New Zealand Oaks title Opawa Hop from the Dave and jean Fahey kennels. She has been firing great guns since she resumed from a recent freshen up. She will jump from trap seven from where she won the only previous occasion she raced from there.
The Fahey’s also provides the second reserve here with Mr. Matt, who was a New Zealand Cup and New Zealand Derby finalist this season where he finished fifth in both Group 1 races.
Must Be Rusty won the Dunedin Cup here two seasons ago and this John McInerney prepared chaser races generously over the 545m trip at this venue, which includes a 32.59s win here three races ago. He will be loaded away into trap three as the winner of a Southland 390m sprint in his last outing.
Team McInerney are also lining up the locally owned auction greyhound Malaga Molly here and she owns an abundance of early pace which is an asset she must use when she hops away from trap six here.
Egomaniacal is the current Dunedin Cup title holder and he will jump away from trap eight for his trainer Dan Roberts. It isn’t his best trap however in saying that he does own pace which he must use, just like he did in his last Addington 520m race where he set the pace, prior to yielding to Opawa Hop.
Securing the draw advantage via the one trap here is the Jason Dunn prepared Bahama Queen. She has won four of the five races whenever she has carried the red racing vest. She has the ability to contest the pace and she can make things rather interesting by doing so here.
Steve and Bonnie Evans are travelling south with two contenders for this event. Kia Tere stylishly won his Ascot Park C3 457m assignment in a handy 26.07s last Tuesday. He will exit from trap four here, while his kennelmate Goldstar Ashton will be sighted racing from trap two. He was sighted finishing solidly for his recent seconds which includes finishing in that position (to Must Be Rusty) at this venue over 545m three races ago.
The drawn field is completed by the Gary Cleeve trained Know Refusal who also provides the first reserve Know Betrayal. Know Refusal, who is the winner of three of his six 545m races here, hasn’t drawn the best in trap five. The recent Manukau Group 2 527m NZ Sires’ Produce Stakes winner copped a check when going into the first turn when returning to Addington last Thursday for his C4/5 520m outing.
Know Betrayal also contested that same Addington 520m race where he got tangled up in early traffic and was forced to race wide, losing all claims. Prior to that he finished fourth in the NZ Sires’ final.
Looking to advance forward to the New Zealand Nationals Middle Distance semi-finals from the Forbury Park heat includes (from left): Opawa Hop; Must Be Rusty; Know Refusal
Amazing Chase
We now see Amazing Chase qualifying times being posted on all three qualifying tracks. Setting the pace at the host Addington venue for the final is the Craig Roberts trained Dyna Dave ($2.80 & $1.45 – TAB Futures & Top 3 market quotes) with his 30.11s clock. Holding second is the recent Barron’s South Island Champs winner Nature’s Gent ($16 & $4.80) for Angela Turnwald who posted 30.16s for his Group 2 win. The Dave and Jean Fahey trained kennelmates Max Dancer ($51 & $13) and Opawa Hop ($4 & $1.70) are both credited with a 30.20s time.
Matt Roberts presented She’s For Us ($26 & $7) for her New Zealand race debut at Hatrick on Friday evening and she returned 30.49s for her 520m second placing. Turnwald also has the second placed runner at this venue with Waitohi ($61 & $15) who has clocked 30.73s, while her kennelmate Triple What ($126 & $31) has an official 30.83s time.
Jared Udy and Denise Cottam got the Manukau qualifying underway in Sunday’s open class 527m event which saw Jinja Might ($126 & $31) returning 30.75s for his win while his kennelmate Kiwi Gal ($91 & $21) posted 30.87s for her fourth place finish.
Holding current Amazing Chase qualifying positions are (from left): Nature’s Gent (Addington); Waitohi (Hatrick); Jinja Might (Manukau)
By Peter Fenemor
