Emma Pritchard
The Grafton Greyhound Racing Club welcomed a large crowd trackside on July 13 for day five of their 2022 July Racing Carnival.
Featuring a 10-race program, including six finals, the event attracted some of the best greyhounds from across the Northern Rivers region.
Ellangowan trainer Frederick Swain won the first feature of the night, Race 3, the Valda and Athol Arandale Memorial over 450m when his classy dog Run West claimed early leader Blink You Lose right on the line.
Talented bitch Sunburst took out Race 4, the Grafton District Services Club (GDSC) Stayers Cup over 660m for trainer Jedda Cutlack, while Robert Cooke trained the quinella in Race 5, the Cosmic Bonus @ Stud 0-1 wins final over 450m when Cash Destroyer and Cash Master proved too strong for their rivals.
Run in honour of former champion Cosmic Bonus, trained by Evelyn Harris of Whiteman Creek, the final attracted a capacity field of eight runners, with the winning trainer declaring himself to be “very happy” to run first and second.
Ms Harris unleashed another rising star when her promising dog Lee’s Tiger went down narrowly to the Dennis Barnes trained Nangar Rocket in the Fair Dinkum Builds CV Sheds Maiden Final over 450m.
During the presentation, the winning trainer thanked his grandsons who drew box 8 for Nangar Rocket.
“If they’d drawn any other box, I wouldn’t be standing here,” he said.
There were plenty of cheers when popular dog Fire Legend, owned and trained locally by Mark Moroney won Race 7, the Village Green Hotel Sprinters Cup Final over 450m.
Starting at 16/1, Fire Legend jumped from box 4 and kicked strongly to record a dominant win over the short priced favourite Typhoon Sammy.
Following the race, the winning trainer announced he had won the Stayers Cup 30 years ago with a relative of Fire Legend called Fire Cape, and he was proud to still be racing greyhounds with the same bloodlines in 2022.
Popular character John Faddy was another winner on the night when he was announced as the proud owner of a 2022 Mazda 2 kindly supplied by Grafton Mazda through their 500 Club.
The Grafton Greyhound Racing Club 2022 July Racing Carnival concluded with a 12-race program on July 15.
President John Corrigan acknowledged the trainers and sponsors for supporting the event, and said he hopes to see the crowds return in 2023.