Caption: The delighted connections with last year’s Quest Hobart Maiden Thousand winner Little Blue Man.
By Brennan Ryan
FOR many years, the Quest Hobart Maiden Thousand series was the premier race not only in Tasmania, but right across Australia.
Such big-name trainers as Charlie ‘Chicka’ Morris and Rod Deakin would travel across Bass Strait with a team of up to 10 dogs at one time, focusing on taking home the rich prizemoney purses that were offered in Tasmania.
The Hobart Greyhound Racing Club this month will stage the 72nd edition of this prestigious series.
A concept founded by legendary greyhound administrator M.A. Morgan led to the Hobart club staging two premier races boasting significant riches.
Morgan had successfully established the now Group 1 Hobart Thousand 14 years earlier. The locals had great success in the race before such interstate champions as Rookie Rebel would reign supreme.
In 1949 Powlett Pride won the first ever Maiden Thousand on the TCA track.
All-time great local trainer Viv Beresford created history in the maiden classic with Baron Dhu in 1952, who would later that year go on to claim the Hobart Thousand, a rare double that was last achieved by White Gigolo in 1986/87.
Jamella Prince, Lilli Pilli Lad, Damek, Wynburn Alpha and Amy Cora are some of the big names to have launched their racing careers in the maiden.
With the birth of other big maiden events around Australia, such as the Dapto Maiden Classic, Vince Curry Memorial and GBOTA Magic Maiden, the Maiden Thousand was been somewhat overshadowed but its great legacy still remains intact.
Local trainers David Crosswell, Richard and Jillian Stamford have each prepared three winners of the Quest Hobart Maiden Thousand.
The 2021 final was taken out by the Paul Young -trained Little Blue Man.
Depending on nominations received for the series, a scheduled race meeting set for Friday, January 14 will stage 12 heats of the Quest Hobart Maiden Thousand. However four heats are programmed for Thursday, January 13 if there is a shortage of runners,
The 2022 Quest Hobart Maiden Thousand winner will receive $10,175 in stakes.
