With the final of the Carlin & Gazzard MG Mount Gambier Cup (512 metres) to be run on Sunday, April 10, Greyhound Racing SA’s announcement today the event has been elevated to Group 3 status comes as great news for the Mount Gambier Greyhound Racing Club.
Run continuously since 1981, the Mount Gambier Cup assumed Listed status in 2018 and carried first prizemoney of $15,000 when won by the Brian Weis trained Xtreme Caution.
The elevation to Group 3 status will see winning connections receive $25,000.
The Murray Bridge Cup final, which will be run on Sunday, March 20, will also assume Group 3 status.
The two clubs will now come into line with the Gawler Greyhound Racing Club which runs its Group 3 Gawler Cup in November.
“It is certainly a great privilege to have each of our country cups achieve Group 3 status,” GRSA Chairman Grantley Stevens said.
“It’s a terrific selling point for each of the clubs and will showcase excellent racing in each of the series due to the quality local and interstate greyhounds competing.”
And the two bonuses that had previously been in place for the Murray Bridge and Mount Gambier Cups will continue – a $5000 bonus if the same greyhound is successful and a $5000 trainer bonus if the same trainer wins both cups (not necessarily the same greyhound).
The inaugural Mount Gambier Cup, run at Glenburnie over 479 metres, was won by Newman McDonnell and Joan Cruise’s Tara Topar.
Winner of the final cup run at the original track was Col Sims’ Colin Ian in 1996.
Current race-day lure driver Ralph Patzel’s Ashanti Gem was the first winner at the Lake Terrace East venue.
Since then, there has been a mix of local, Adelaide and Victorian trainers to have won the cup.
Last year’s winner was Zipping Zarbo, trained at Lara by Deb Coleman.
Mount Gambier club president Noel Perry said the announcement regarding the cup’s Group 3 status was terrific news.
“It was only recently the club, in conjunction with Carlin & Gazzard MG sales manager Adrian Jones, finalised a major sponsorship deal with the long-time local award-winning new and used car dealership.
“As it is, the cup is already well-regarded but Group 3 status will undoubtedly take it to a new level.
“These are certainly exciting times for greyhound racing in the south-east.
In July last year our Sunday race meetings received a significant prizemoney boost through the introduction of Category 2 status.
“Now we find ourselves gearing up for our first Group 3 event.
“And with a significant refurbishment of the clubrooms to be undertaken this year, there’s certainly plenty to look forward to for both patrons and participants.”
Making the right pick
For the second time in three years, greyhounds owned and trained by Edenhope-based Captain Abbott have won the Mount Gambier Greyhound of the Year award.
Last Sunday, Another Pick received the 2021 award after winning 12 races over 400 metres and 512 metres at Tara Raceway.
By Unlawful Entry out of Proud Fantasy, the white and blue bitch was purchased by Abbott as a pup from Pyramid Hill-based Judith Condo and John Caulfield – also the breeders of Mount Gambier record holders Giant’s Flash and Minnie Banjo.
Abbott was not too far off the mark when selecting Another Pick who overall has now won 17 races and $14,000 in stakemoney.
In fact, he was not too far off the mark either back in 1974 when as a Dandenong panelbeater he took out a lease on a New Zealand greyhound called Kwik Metal.
Trained by Abbott, Kwik Metal won the final of the 1974 Melbourne Cup.
In more recent times, he enjoyed a terrific run with one of his own breed in the city-winning White Arrow (Tina’s Jo x Cape Arrow).
Later, another city winner was Manila Express, then there was the durable Black Spring, the 2019 Mount Gambier Greyhound of the Year.
And Abbott continues to look to the future.
Together with Kerry Hawker he’s still rearing plenty of youngsters and breeding the odd litter or two.
While it’s close to 50 years since the last one, who knows, there might even be another Melbourne Cup winner waiting to be discovered over Edenhope way.
