Caption: Rojo Diamond, last year’s Ladbrokes Chase winner, winning at Hobart recently.
By BRENNAN RYAN
THE upcoming summer months offer a number of feature races in Tasmania, spearheaded by the state’s only Group One feature, the Hobart Thousand in mid-December.
The hig quality racing continues through January with both the Ladbrokes Chase and Ladbrokes Launceston Cup offering fantastic prizemoney.
The Group 3 Ladbrokes Chase will return to its original January timeslot in 2024.
This is the second year that the signature Devonport race has been hosted by Hobart and the Group 3 feature will be worth $30,000 to the winner, up from $25,000.
In 2022, the Ladbrokes Chase (formerly Devonport Cup) was won by Rojo Diamond.
Trainer Angus Evans will be honoured with the Ladbrokes Chae Consolation staged in his honour.
This will be the 22nd running of the feature, first held in 2003 when taken out by the Dennis Wood-trained Rapid Rohan.
Attention shifts to Launceston later in January for the Group 2 Ladbrokes Launceston Cup series.
First run back in 1936, the Launceston Cup has been one of the longest-running feature events on the Australian greyhound calendar. It was taken out in 2023 by Wynburn Ruby for Wynyard trainer Ben Englund.
Winning connections will receive $60,000, plus a rug and trophy.
Hall of Fame to honour Tassie’s finest
The Tasmanian Greyhound Hall of Fame committee will unveil its latest inductees during the Group 1 Ladbrokes Hobart Thousand Box Draw Dinner on December 9.
Mona’s Beauty, Miss Coroneagh, George Mason and Jim Dickson were all honoured in 2022.
After years of discussion, the Tasmanian Greyhound Hall of Fame was introduced in 2007 to highlight the outstanding achievers in our sport, either greyhounds or industry participants.
Four people make up the HOF committee, with Greg Fahey as coordinator and researcher.
In the 16-year history of the Hall of Fame, the likes of Meadow Vale, Bell Haven, Buckle Up Wes, Rewind, Chinatown Lad, True Vintage, Ophir Doll and Busy Vintage have all been recognized.
Hall of Fame trainers include Viv Berresford, Reg Ivory, Bob Brown, Richard Stamford, Ted Medhurst, Gary Fahey and David Crosswell.
M.A. Morgan, Ollie and Des Illingworth, and Peter Wright have also been recognised for their administration skills.
Denise’s memory well honoured
Denise Fysh will forever be remembered by her beloved Hobart Greyhound Racing Club.
Now into its fourth running, the Denise Fysh Memorial race is one of the highlights on Ladbrokes Hobart Thousand Final night. The race is for Grade 5-class runners conducted over the 461m journey.
The HGRC also presents an award named after Denise, the club’s former chairwoman who passed away in 2019.
Legendary greyhound administrator David Simonette recently spoke of his fond memories of Denise.
“I had the great pleasure of Denise’s company on many occasions over many years and I think I got to know her pretty well,” he said.
“To be honest, getting to know Denise wasn’t that hard.
“After all, she had a friendly smile and a welcoming way about her.
“The work of committees and boards and can be a daunting task and Denise handled all levels of administration with great respect and worked well with all state coordinators.
“Sometimes we sat at a board table discussing the best way forward and at other times we sat at the dining table and shared what was going on in our lives.
“It was mostly around greyhounds and the family – those two topics defined Denise to me.”
David described Denise as a character of great diligence, a person he was proud to stand alongside.
“A straightforward, no-nonsense woman that stood tall in a room of men at a time when it wasn’t always easy to be female,” he said.
“Denise, like her great friend Marg Long, were pioneer administrators that I learned so much from – she was a phenomenal person.”
Denise Fysh will never be forgotten.
Tasmania’s January features:
Group 3 Ladbrokes Chase (461m)
Heats: January 2. Final: January 9
Group 2 Ladbrokes Launceston Cup (515m)
Heats: January 22. Final: January 27
