By Chase Editor Pat McLeod

Put aside your best suit/gown and prepare to celebrate. The Queensland greyhound awards are back in March with all the bells and whistles.

COVID-19 robbed us of plenty of highs in 2020 and one of those was the chance to truly applaud the fantastic deeds of the state’s premier greyhounds and the many two-legged high achievers.

There was a belated, scaled-down awards in September last year, where Brett Hazelgrove’s Dam Slippery was the popular winner of the major award.

However, this year the 2021 TAB Queensland Greyhound Awards will be back to their best on Friday, March 19, at The Marquee, Victoria Park, Brisbane, from 7pm.

Racing Queensland’s Senior Racing Manager (Greyhound), Brenton Scott, said the awards night was a key occasion on the state’s racing calendar.

“Despite the challenges that the past year has involved, Queensland greyhound racing stakeholders can be very proud of the collective efforts made to ensure racing continuity,” he said.

“The awards function presents as a great opportunity for the industry to come together, support one another and recognise its finest performers.”

More than 20 awards will be presented including the prestigious TAB Queensland Greyhound of the Year Award.

On the night, all six Queensland greyhound race venues will present their individual greyhound of the year and trainer of the year trophies.

The awards catalogue the most significant on-track achievements for 2020, but also highlight significant all-round accomplishments with categories including: Young Achiever Award; Woman in Racing Award; QRIC Welfare Award; and the Top Simbi Award, which acknowledges a person or persons, occasion or event that creates positive media publicity for the sport.

Last year, Racing Queensland, in conjunction with the Greyhound Racing Industry Advisory Panel, altered the Greyhound of the Year award eligibility criteria, restricting the Award to greyhounds that had been trained in Queensland for at least four months in the year under the judging panel’s assessment.

This decision brought greyhound racing into line with the thoroughbred and harness awards.

Ticket information for the 2021 TAB Queensland Greyhound Awards will be available soon on the Racing Queensland website.