Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW) is delighted to announce that from October 1, an additional $1.33 million in prizemoney will be available to participants.
The increased prizemoney is being targeted at two specific categories of racing which, after consultation with industry stakeholders, GRNSW believed needed to be bolstered.
“We made a concerted effort during the early stages of COVID-19 – not knowing whether we would, or would not, be able to continue racing – to operate on a very tight budget and look to save finances where possible,” GRNSW Chief Executive Officer Mr Tony Mestrov said. “As a result of some of those savings, we now have the opportunity to pass on increases in prizemoney to participants.
“I have been hearing for some time, through the forums we have conducted, and when I have been out on track, that we need to do something to boost and bolster our staying numbers in NSW, and we believe this announcement will be a strong step towards doing that.
“A proposed 600 metre start at Wentworth Park has been looked at several times in recent years, but unfortunately it isn’t logistically possible at present, which means NSW remains the only state not providing middle distance racing at its City venue, and for City prizemoney levels.
“We are well aware of the need to nurture our middle distances greyhounds and provide them with a viable stepping stone to ultimately bolster the State’s 700m ranks. As such, an additional $550,000 will be on offer for middle distance racing at provincial clubs.
“As of October 1, to support this component of the industry, the decision was made to provide City prizemoney levels of $5,000 a win, $1,500 for second and $1,100 for third for middle distance racing at provincial venues, three times a week.
“Not only will this facilitate racing for sprinters moving up in distance, but also provide a stepping stone for dogs into our long distance racing ranks.”
Wentworth Park’s Wednesday meetings will also receive an additional $780,000, which equates to an extra $20,000 per meeting across all 520m and 720m graded races, taking prizemoney to $4,000 for the winner of a 520m, 5thgrade race.
“In recent times we have increased our provincial prizemoney levels, supported feature racing with the TAB Million Dollar Chase and all group events as well as Country Cups, however one area we wanted to target was the Wednesday night meetings at Wentworth Park,” Mr Mestrov said.
“Wentworth Park is our premier track, and we felt there was a distinct need to build the stature of the Wednesday meetings, and we see this move as an opportunity to make those meetings more attractive for participants to race there, and as a result bring more quality, depth, and competitiveness to those midweek meetings.”
Greyhound Breeders, Owners and Trainers’ Association General Manager Mr Steve Noyce said the prizemoney announcement “clearly displays the strong financial health and confidence of the industry.”
“Metropolitan racing at Wentworth Park has been an important fabric of our great industry for many years,” Mr Noyce said.
“The wonderful decision by GRNSW to increase prizemoney for our metropolitan Wednesday meetings is important, as it bridges the gap between Saturdays and Wednesdays, which clearly displays the strong financial health and confidence of the industry.
“This fantastic investment decision by GRNSW will be extremely well received and greatly appreciated by all participants and also create great excitement for everyone in the industry.”
