Invercargill to host greyhound awards

New Zealand’s greyhound racing awards will be held for the first time in Invercargill on Saturday night.

Twelve awards are to be presented and two people will be inducted into the sport’s Hall of Fame at the National Greyhound Awards.

The guest speaker is New Zealand Racing Board chief executive John Allen, while Trackside television presenter and race caller Matt Cross will be master of ceremonies.

Southland Greyhound Racing Club officials were told six months ago that Invercargill had been selected to hold the awards, at Bill Richardson Transport World.

‘‘We’re very proud and honoured [it’s in Invercargill],’’ club secretary Bronwyn Eade said.

The awards night gave greyhound enthusiasts the opportunity to reflect on the past season’s highlights and achievements, Greyhound Racing NZ chief executive Phil Holden said. ‘‘It’s going to be a really marvellous night in a fabulous location.’’

Holden, a former Southlander, has been a chief executive of NZ Rugby League and Lion Foun- dation. The Trainer of the Year Award is presented to who wins the premiership each season.

Palmerston North’s Lisa Cole was top trainer in the 2016-17 season which finished on July 31.

The 141 greyhounds who raced for Cole last season had a total of 3145 starts, for 713 wins, 504 seconds, 412 thirds and stakes of $1,463,996.

Contenders for Greyhound of the Year are American Warrior and Ring The Bell, both trained in Canterbury, and Waikato’s Thrilling Boris.

The Southland greyhound awards will be held in Invercargill in about a month.