Chase News Editor PAT McLEOD previews the Golden Greys Summer carnival, which officially starts with the exciting Qld Flame final on Thursday night at Albion Park.
There’s a chorus that has been echoing through greyhound racing kennels for more than a year now. And it’s getting louder.
‘There has never been a better time to be in greyhound racing!’
It is a one-liner that is being spoken by all facets of the industry – from hobby trainer, to Group 1 mentor, to mega owner, to club volunteer.
There are many reasons for this positive acclamation, but one of the key pillars that is supporting this feeling of optimism started in late November and runs through until February 4.
It is the Golden Greys Summer Carnival – the pinnacle of greyhound racing in Queensland and now one of the standout carnivals in Australasia.
What marks this carnival as ‘special’ and why it is such a favourable mirror to the industry is that it is incredibly inclusive and highlights everything that makes greyhound racing in Australia world class.
The major dot points: across the two+ months of the carnival there will be 25 listed and above races worth more than $2million.
All but one of the events – the Ipswich-based Vince Curry Memorial, which will close the carnival on Saturday, February 4 – will be raced at Qld’s greyhound racing HQ, Albion Park, home of the Brisbane Greyhound Racing Club, also affectionately known as ‘The Creek’ .
Club CEO Luke Gatehouse said although the Golden Greys Carnival has only been alive for a few years, it already is industry leading.
“What is so unique and important about this carnival is its inclusivity,” he said.
“It doesn’t matter where you live in Queensland, you can win through to a feature at Albion Park. It doesn’t matter if your dog is a maiden, any age, any distance, there is a feature race here in the spotlight that your dog can be a part of.
“And the way the carnival builds in momentum is incredible. First of all there is the focus on our Queensland dogs and that begins with a bang – the Queensland Flame. Here you have a chance of not only winning The Flame and its $40,000 to first place, but the victor will then go on to represent this state in The Phoenix at Melbourne’s The Meadows on December 17.
“The winner of that race picks up a tidy $1million.
“After The Flame is a new initiative – QGold. This celebrates greyhounds bred in the Sunshine State and the QGOLD Summer feature meeting provides a premium racing opportunity for the aged restricted, emerging and proven types over a variety of distances.
“It’s a real celebration of everything Queensland.
“We then go through a series of events, including the Golden Sands and the Golden Ticket, each growing in national significance, before the carnival climax, Gold Bullion night on February 2, when the highlight will be the $300,000 Group 1 Gold Bullion (520m).”
Gatehouse said the significant measure of the success of the Golden Greys Carnival in its current format was the quality of interstate dogs that have campaigned in recent years.
“Sennachie and Tommy Shelby, to name just a couple, have been here for the summer carnival,” said Gatehouse. “I am constantly getting feedback from interstate trainers about the Golden Greys and indications this year are that many of the best will be here.
“The prizemoney of course is a big lure, but it is certainly more than that. Trainers from across Australia like the way we do business. They love the way they are looked after at the track and also how welcoming fellow trainers are in south-east Queensland.
“Many top southern trainers entrust their valuable chasers to local trainers for weeks on end. They know that they will be well looked after.
“And we love the interstate ‘raiders’ coming north. Yes, it is great when the prizemoney stays in Qld, but we want to be racing against the best in the top tier events. If you want to be considered the best, you have to race against the best.”
Gatehouse said a major reason why his club has so successfully hosted the Golden Greys Summer Carnival in recent years was the role played by his small, but hard-working team at the Brisbane club.
“I have no doubt I have the best staff of any track in Australia,” he says.
“I am biased, but I also know how hard they work and how dedicated they are. We are the busiest track in Australia, so we hold ‘an event’ at least four times a week, every week.
“The staff love it when the big carnivals come around because they get to showcase what they do for our regulars, week in week out, but to a national audience.
“The ‘customer experience’ is very important to us and for the majority of the year those customers are the rank and file local trainers. The customer experience we give them is the same as we give to the racing royalty come carnival time.”
