Nominees Announced For NSW Greyhound Of The Year
Bye Bye Bucks, He Knows Uno and Oaks Road have been announced as the nominees for the 2012 Betfair NSW Greyhound of the Year.
A panel of judges which included representatives from Fairfax, Sky Racing, National Greyhound Form and the Greyhound Recorder met today at the offices of Greyhound Racing NSW to finalise the nominees.
There is a sense of déjà vu with the judges' picks, as two nominees – He Knows Uno and Oaks Road – were also nominated for the 2011 Betfair Greyhound of the Year award. The connections of both greyhounds will hope their kennel stars can go one better after both missed out on the 2011 award to Zipping Lad.
Standing in both of their way is Bye Bye Bucks, who is trained by Ken Lewis in the Sydney suburb of Raby. Bye Bye Bucks came from relative obscurity to win the Group 2 Dapto Megastar, the Group 2 Black Top and finish third in the Group 1 Peter Mosman Classic.
He Knows Uno, trained by Michael Patterson in Iluka on the NSW North Coast, had his career rejuvenated in 2012, which saw him turn from a star sprinter to one of the best stayers in Australia. He appeared in nine Group finals, winning the Group 1 Brisbane Gold Cup, the Group 3 AWM Distance Championship and representing NSW at the National Distance Championships.
Oaks Road, trained by Mark Gatt at Thirlmere, booked his return ticket into the top three after an unbelievable first half of 2012. In the first four months of the year he won the Group 1 Perth Cup, the Group 2 Bob Payne Sprint and the Group 2 Maitland Cup. In total, he won 11 of his 18 starts in 2012 before being retired to stud.
The 2012 Betfair NSW Greyhound Of The Year will be announced at a gala awards night, which for the first time will be held at the iconic Sydney Town Hall on Friday 1 March.
Other awards set to be announced on the night include the state's leading sprinter, stayer, sire, brood bitch, media coverage, volunteer, young person, trainer and club of the year.
The 2012 NSW Greyhound of the Year awards night will be the fourth featuring Betfair's major sponsorship.
GRNSW Chief Executive Brent Hogan said Betfair's continued involvement with the awards night underlined the company's commitment to greyhound racing in NSW and the sport's participants.
“The contribution of GRNSW's official betting exchange partner Betfair is a valuable one and with their support I'm looking forward to celebrating what has been another excellent year for the sport at one of the most famous venues in Australia – the Sydney Town Hall,” Mr Hogan said.

2012 BETFAIR NSW GREYHOUND OF THE YEAR CONTENDERS
Bye Bye Bucks
Owner: Glen Jones and Michael Jones Trainer: Ken Lewis
Location: Raby
2012 Record: 34:16-2-5
Group Finals: 4 (Won Group 2 Dapto Megastar, Won Group 2 Black Top)
He Knows Uno
Owner: Lillian Patterson
Trainer: Michael Patterson
Location: Iluka
2012 Record: 30:13-4-8
Group Finals: 9 (Won Group 1 Brisbane Gold Cup, Won Group 3 AWM Distance Championship)
Oaks Road
Owner: Edwin Kingswell
Trainer: Mark Gatt
Location: Thirlmere
2012 Record: 18: 11-1-0
Group Finals: 6 (Won Group 1 Perth Cup, Won Group 2 Bob Payne Sprint, Won Group 2 Maitland Cup)