Star shines on stirring greyhound race finale
ON a sombre night at Cannon Park, as the Cairns’ greyhound industry ran their final race, one dog brought the modest crowd to life.
Punters and owners cheering on their dogs at Cairns Greyhound Racing Club officially ended on Friday night but the club has been on its last legs for months, with 13 meetings abandoned since July 1 this year.
And, while greyhound numbers in the Far North have been a concern for years, it has intensified over the back end of 2018.
With a number of leading trainers serving suspensions and greyhound numbers dwindling, the outlook of the sport has been bleak, but one shining light has been Sharhelian Star.
As the name suggests, Sharhelian Star is the star of north Queensland greyhound racing.
Purchased for just $400 earlier this year, Sharhelian Star has chalked up 15 victories from 25 starts, with the majority of those won in Cairns, since first arriving in April.
There was little fanfare at the last ever Cairns greyhound meeting, except when Sharhelian Star bolted in by almost five lengths in the fourth race as joyful cheers could be heard around the track.
Race caller Bluey Forsyth pumped up those on hand as Sharhelian Star’s loyal owners, led by the Meredith family (dubbed the Rednek Syndicate) celebrated another win.
Part-owner Keith Meredith said their star greyhound has brought their family closer together.
“The dog has been an absolute champion for us,” Meredith said. “She is an exciting dog, she can win from any box and just keeps on winning.
“It is all up in the air what we will do with the dog with Cairns closing — we will see in the new year.”
Forsyth has seen hundreds of races in his 16 years calling at the track but none like Sharhelian Star.
“The dog has taken it all by storm,” Forsyth said.
Arthur Gosper trained Sharhelian Star on Friday evening, with usual trainer Emma Bryant serving a suspension from the Queensland Racing Integrity Commission after niflumic acid was detected in the urine of one of her greyhounds.
Gosper trained a treble on Friday night, taking out half of the last ever six races on offer.
Elsewhere, the sport was rocked by the live baiting scandal in early 2015, when Four Corners revealed the use of live piglets, possums and rabbits to train racing greyhounds had been occurring over some years, despite self-regulatory efforts to address the issue.
While live baiting was never linked to North Queensland during the reporting, Cannon Park greyhounds and horse caller Forsyth said the scandal had a lasting impact on every greyhound track in Australia.
Friday evening was the official last meeting at Cannon Park. Their TAB meeting scheduled for January 1 next year has been transferred to Townsville.
THE DOG HAS BEEN AN ABSOLUTE CHAMPION FOR US. SHE IS AN EXCITING DOG, SHE CAN WIN FROM ANY BOX. OWNER KEITH MEREDITH