Bbet.com.au Taree Cup (537m)

$7000 for winner

Heats Wednesday, March 31

Final Wednesday, April 7

By TERRY WILSON

IT has taken more than 12 months but the Taree Greyhound Racing Club is set to finally have its annual Easter Carnival go ahead with full TAB coverage

Last year the Taree club was set to have its Carnival under full TAB coverage for the first time but then the dreaded COVID-19 stepped in and the celebrations had to be canned.

But this time around, and with his fingers firmly crossed, Taree club Secretary Peter Daniel is confident the event will go ahead.

The feature attraction over three days of racing – on Wednesday, March 31, Saturday, April 3, and Wednesday, April 7 – is the Bbet.com.au Taree Cup, which has $7000 first prizemoney to chase.

Taree was granted full TAB coverage in June last year after years of waiting. The TAB was to have 26 meetings raced on a new grass track.

“But the traditional Easter Carnival was cancelled last year for obvious reasons,” said Daniel.

“This time we have a TAB race meeting two days before Good Friday with all the heats, then on Saturday morning have the Maiden heats, then the following Wednesday with the four finals and a couple of other one-off races.

“The Saturday races will be in the morning with an early start.”

The March 31 heats will be for the Taree Cup (537m) and heats of the Royal Hotel Silver Bullet (4th/5th Grade).

On the Saturday there will be Australian Hotel Wingham Gold Maiden (314m) and the Taree GBOTA 5th Grade (314m).

Then the carnival closes on April 7 with the Taree Cup final, the Silver Bullet final, the Gold Maiden final and the GBOTA 5th grade final.

“We certainly expect to get some good dogs for the Taree Cup,” said Daniel.

After Easter revelry abates, the Taree club is staging an event to honour one of the district’s greyhound icons.

“In June we’re holding The Squizzy which is worth $12,000,” said Daniel.

“Squizzy was the name of a greyhound that raced in this area in the mid-1950s and used to feature in match races and was a popular celebrity in his own way.

“We’re trying to link the club back to those old days.”

And Taree has also been named as one of eight provincial clubs to stage a qualifier for the NSW Country Championship, the final of which is to be run at Wentworth Park for $130,000.

“We’re happy to have been selected as new kids on the block, so to speak,” said Daniel.

The Taree club was kicked off in the late 1950s and moved to its current site, on Crown land, on a 99-year lease in the late 1970s.