Fresh thinking for greyhound racing
It’s called the Amazing Chase and it could be every bit as good as the name suggests for greyhound racing in New Zealand.
The dogs have always been a niche market in this country that has lived firmly in the shadows of the two horse racing codes but some forward thinking by the industry’s hierarchy could potentially drive the long odds battler into the limelight.
The Amazing Chase, a two dog match racing concept, will see eight qualifiers compete in four heats for more than $30,000 in stakes on one night.
The greyhound who runs the fastest time will earn $13,000 for around 30 seconds work.
Hopes are high the novelty of the one-on-one style of racing will captivate a new audience of sports and horse racing punters to help grow turnover and rejuvenate the greyhound code.
Greyhound Racing New Zealand (GRNZ) chairman Craig Rendle believes it can bring muchneeded exposure to the sport in a way that will not compromise its existing punter base.
‘‘We haven’t gone out and sold our story enough. This is the start of us telling our story,’’ Rendle said.
‘‘If we do the same thing for 52 weeks of the year we’re always going to get the same result.
‘‘It’s about growing the sport and bringing new people into it,’’ he said.
The enterprising initiative is modelled on the popular Bill Collins Memorial Speed Star event held annually at Sandown Park (Victoria) but some subtle differences will give the Amazing Chase its own identity.
Rendle said it was plausible there would also be strong interest from Australian punters because they are familiar with the concept.
The inaugural Amazing Chase will be held at Manukau Stadium on July 30 but it is likely the series will rotate between the Manukau, Hatrick (Wanganui) and Addington (Christchurch) tracks on a three-year cycle.
The concept has been rushed through to get it off the ground so Rendle said there could be some tweaking to the format next season.
In addition to the Amazing Chase providing benefits for the greyhound industry, GRNZ wants to use the concept to have a positive effect on the community with the $100 nomination fee for each dog to be paid to a yet to be determined charity.
In the future, possibly even as soon as 2018, there is a possibility the Amazing Chase could be a twopronged series with an identical format over the sprinting distance.
The Amazing Chase is not the only new initiative in the pipelines.
GRNZ is also considering the possibility of a race day similar to the Harness Jewels, that would also be run in July, and Rendle said they were open to looking at other options to create more interest in the sport.
The emphasis on July is a pragmatic approach to target the quietest month of the year for the thoroughbred and harness racing codes.
‘‘We want greyhound racing to own the month of July,’’ Rendle said.
The opportunity for an Australian invite into the Amazing Chase is something that would be looked at in the future but with the travel costs and higher stakes across the Tasman, it is no certainty.
Head to head betting will be available for the match races but win, place, quinella, trifecta and first four betting will also be available and will be based solely on the finishing order of the times.
Nominations opened on Thursday and close on June 19 with a one month qualifying period, done on fastest times in races or official trials at Manukau, Hatrick or Addington between June 23-July 23.
Leaderboards will be posted each week through the month of qualifying so punters and trainers will know who holds the qualifying positions from each of the three tracks.
AMAZING CHASE, HOW IT WORKS:
Each nominated dog will get one official qualifying trial on their own but qualifying times can also be recorded, by nominated dogs only, in official races at the three venues between June 23-July 23.
Dogs who run the three fastest times at Manukau plus the two fastest times from each of Addington and Hatrick will qualify through to the top eight for the four match races.
The third fastest times from each of Addington and Hatrick will be placed on a ballot with one of the pair to take the final place in the top eight.
The dog who loses the ballot and the greyhound who runs the fourth fastest qualifying time at Manukau will make up the two Amazing Chase emergencies.
On July 30, boxes one and three will be used in each 527m heat with a draw to determine which dog starts on the inside or outside of the match race.
Each match race winner will bank $3000 with the beaten greyhound earning a stake of $1000 but racing the clock is where the real money is made.
The greyhound who clocks the fastest time will earn an additional $10,000.
The second fastest will get a further $2500, with the third fastest dog banking an extra $1500 and the fourth fastest receiving a $500 cheque. The four winning greyhounds will not necessarily win the bonuses.