Caption: The shipping containers are gone and the new judges tower takes centre stage at Albion Park

By Brisbane Greyhound Club CEO LUKE GATEHOUSE

FEBRUARY started with the Golden Greys Summer Carnival reaching its high point with the running of The Group 1 Gold Bullion, and ended with the club in recess for infrastructure work.

So, it’s been a very interesting, and busy time.

Hello Mike’s win in the Gold Bullion was one of the most emotional results ever witnessed at ‘The Creek.’

For the victorious Elson family – Hello Mike’s trainer Travis Elson, his parents Bill and Cyndie, and brother Warren – their first ever Group 1 crown was in honour of the ailing Bill.

But the sentiment from this race spread much further. For the connections of second-placed Jay is Jay the tears also flowed. The Zammits, Mick and Selena, are no strangers to big race podium finishes, but the fact that Jay Is Jay had a strong link to Selena’s dad, the late Jeff Jones, was also poignant.

(The last dog Jeff trained was Jay Is Jay’s mother Kealoah. Jeff’s wife, Selena’s mother, Lillian owns both Jay Is Jay and Kealoah).

And even third-placed Times Three had a great back story. He grew to prominence for trainer Greg Deering as a specialist over the shorts and did not figure in Gold Bullion calculations until the 11th hour.

However Times Three made a big impact in the night, jumping to the lead and almost stealing the whole show.

In all, a great carnival. A special thanks to the staff at Albion Park. Well done, again.

*****

As Chase went to print Racing Queensland’s greyhound HQ was closed as final changes were made to the judges’ tower.

We used this 10-day shutdown to also do some vital maintenance work across Australia’s busiest greyhound track. So, if you thought this was ‘feet up’ time for the best club crew across the land, think again.

When participants return, the tower may be the noticeable addition, but almost every area of the Albion Park greyhound facility will have received attention.

It is also a period when we will be able to put even more time and energy into the business of running this club. We have always prided ourselves on two specific areas away from the actual racing – offering the best possible customer experience and having a healthy balance sheet.

You tick both those boxes in any entertainment endeavour and you will be a long way towards being an overall success.

So, certainly some of this time ‘off’ will have been spent on strategic planning.

When we are back racing, on Thursday, March 2, The Creek will be in even better condition.

*****

The annual Queensland Greyhound Awards is always a great night – a chance for the industry to congratulate the high achievers from the past year, to acknowledge and thank those who have and still do work so hard for this sport and also to relax, unwind, socialize and have a good time.

This year’s awards, which will of course focus on the ‘winners’ of 2022, will be held at The Greek Club, West End, South Brisbane, on Friday, March 31, starting at 6pm for 6.30pm.

Part of the success of the night is that it always includes participants from right across Queensland. It is great to catch up, talk shop and renew long-time friendships.

*****

Something that has been very important to myself and club president Les Bein in recent years is Greyhound Clubs Australia (GCA) – a reasonably new addition to the greyhound landscape and an entity that has already achieved a lot and will achieve a whole lot more.

GCA was born in 2017 with the primary aim for all clubs to have peak body that would work in their interests.

In late February Troy Iwanyk took over from Troy Harley as Executive Officer for GCA. While we were sorry to lose Troy Harley, Troy Iwanyk is an exceptional replacement.

As Les Bein said: “GCA is fortunate to have a person of Troy’s calibre join GCA as Executive Officer.  He brings an outstanding greyhound and commercial background to the position which will see him fit in perfectly to the role.

“Troy holds a Bachelor of Business and a Master of Laws, as well as a long connection to the greyhound racing industry in his home State of Western Australia.”

What is most impressive is Troy Iwanyk’s wide skill set:

  • Practiced as a lawyer at MinterEllison in Melbourne;
  • Greyhound owner and trainer (and has also been a breeder, stud master and involved with rearing, education and pre-training);
  • Director at the Melbourne Greyhound Racing Association (The Meadows) for four years (ongoing);
  • Media experience with SKY Racing and SEN.

He started in his new role in late February.

The greyhound industry is on a high at the moment and GCA is an important part of the industry’s decision-making process, ensuring that we move in the right direction for all participants.