Caption: Victorious Queensland TAB Origin Greyhound Series coach Ben Hannant (Photo: Box 1 Photography)
By Brisbane Greyhound Racing Club CEO LUKE GATEHOUSE
WE have beaten arch-rivals NSW – now we are ready to take on and overcome the rest of greyhounds Australasia.
That is certainly the sentiment in Queensland following the Maroons powerhouse performance in the TAB Origin Greyhound Series win at Albion Park in mid-July.
The Maroons won the three-race event 2-1 to bring the shield back to Queensland, a feat that emulated the efforts of the State’s rugby league team just the night before down the road at Suncorp Stadium.
That greyhound win is the perfect appetizer for what is shaping as a bumper Nationals in Sydney in late August. This annual event has been placed on ice for two years because of Covid and right across Australia there is a real hunger, and need, for the industry to come back together.
As Greyhound Clubs Australia Executive Officer Troy Harley explains on Page 10 of this month’s Chase, The Nationals Symposium plays a vital role in navigating the code’s future path. However, as he also points out, The Nationals racing showdown – the sprint, distance and straight track races – carry plenty of prestige.
In my experience, every trainer who has won a title at The Nationals considers this as one of their career highlights, because it is not only a victory for their kennel, but also for their entire state.
The camaraderie among the Queensland camp after their Origin greyhound win was amazing and now they want to carry that feeling through to Sydney.
While I was rapt in the hometown win over the Blues, what really surprised me was the rapid improvement in the Queensland dogs. Good young dogs can improve a lot over a short period, but the rise of Days Of Thunder, Oh Oh Range and Shipwreck from good to exceptional was one of the most pleasing aspects of the whole Winter Carnival.
Throw in the youngsters from the Mick Byrne Memorial and the Emerging Origin Stars and a picture is starting to emerge Of a new era of super race dogs north of the Tweed.
Yes, there are the State titles to go through in early August, but that can only unearth possibly more Maroon quality.
So, bring on the rest of Australasia – yep, the Kiwis as well – because the Mighty Maroons are ready to dominate.
Carnivals are like champions, it is hard to compare across the years. However, this year’s TAB Queensland Winter Greyhound Carnival is up there with the best we have hosted at Albion Park.
Every aspect was exceptional – the racing, the entertainment, the crowds – it was all amazing. Of course, what appears on the surface is not always the case below.
Like most businesses, we too had to keep performing while countering bad weather, Covid, supply issues, interest rate hikes, etc, etc. So, a big ‘thank-you’ to the staff, volunteers, officials and racing fraternity involved in the Brisbane Greyhound Racing Club for a job extremely well done.
My ‘barometer’ of an event’s success is party based around feedback and ‘who came’. I have been inundated with great feedback and I was rapt to see the amount of new faces among the visiting trainers.
It was also uplifting to have such good crowds at our big nights. The bottom line is, we are in the entertainment industry and we have to put on a good show.
Plenty of new visitors to Albion Park from within and also outside the greyhound industry have told me they will be back.