Thirty for Amazing Chase
Greyhound trainers up and down the country have been quick out of the boxes with their support for the inaugural Amazing Chase.
Thirty nominations have been received for the match racing series that will see eight qualifiers contest the Amazing Chase with more than $30,000 in stakes up for grabs at Manukau Stadium on July 30.
The greyhound who runs the fastest time will earn $13,000 for around 30 seconds work.
Greyhound Racing New Zealand (GRNZ) chairman Craig Rendle said it was pleasing to see strong nominations that were evenly spread across the three qualifying tracks.
‘‘It will ensure keen interest in the regional trials before the focus switches to the national final,’’ he said.
Ten greyhounds will attempt to qualify at Manukau, eleven at Hatrick, while there will be nine chasing the clock at Addington.
The month-long qualifying period begins on Saturday.
The nominations boast a mix of some of the best-known dogs in the country such as last Friday’s Group I NZ Breeders’ Stakes winner Thrilling Flo, multiple Group I winner Opawa Shackely and New Zealand Derby winner Storm Warning as well as some promising dogs in the early stages of their careers.
‘‘Having proven Group I performers mixed with other greyhounds full of potential is what this series is all about,’’ Rendle said.
The concept, loosely modelled on the popular Bill Collins Memorial Speed Star event held annually in Australia, has been rushed through to get it off the ground in 2017 and Rendle said that was a credit to everyone involved.
‘‘I am also rapt with the buy in from the GRNZ Board, plus the GRNZ office staff, having all worked in together to make the concept work,’’ he said.
Each of the 30 nominated dogs will get one official qualifying trial on their own but qualifying times can also be recorded 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.
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 cheque.
The four winning greyhounds will not necessarily win the bonuses. It is possible that the first and second fastest times could come from the same match race heat.
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.
In the future it is likely the series will rotate between the Manukau, Hatrick (Wanganui) and Addington (Christchurch) tracks on a three-year cycle. receiving a $500