Bendigo Cup Heats Fail To Attract The Best
The fields for the 2008 Bendigo Cup Heats were released a little earlier to day and and in contrast to years gone by, only 55 runners spread over 7 heats will face the starter.
While many of the best greyhounds have been competing in the $150,000 to the winner 2008 Golden Easter Egg, some high profile greyhounds elected to stay in Victoria or were knocked out of the Golden Easter Egg series early, raising hopes they may have nominated for the 2008 Bendigo Cup Heats.
Unfortunately for the embattled Bendigo club and its supporters, it appears those runners have also bypassed the Group 2 Bendigo Cup in favour of the upcoming $125,000 to the winner Perth Cup series.
Importantly, only two interstate trainers have made the effort to enter their charges for the Group 2 race despite the fact it carries a final winner's purse of $25,000; and those two runners would hardly be examples of New South Wales' best chasers.
The Group 2 Bendigo Cup this year is suffering from huge prizemoeny increases by Greyhounds WA for its Perth Cup Carnival and with the Bendigo Cup carnival falling on the tailend of the Golden Easter Egg Carnival in New South Wales. To further complicate matters, Albion Park is this week also running their Group 2 Bogie Leigh Queensland Futurity worth $25,000 to the winner and that race has attracted several Victorian greyhounds that might have otherwise raced at Bendigo.
[…] of racing with four semi finals of the Rocky Ridge Farm Goldrush Maiden and, in stark contrast to last years ordinary turnout; there is eight heats of the Group 2 2009 $26,000 to the winner MTD Bendigo […]