Bendigo Cup

THE Bendigo Cup is a group 2 race held over the 425m trip at the Bendigo Greyhound Racing Club and is worth $47,000 to winning connections.

The series is open to the best 64 greyhounds nominated plus reserves, with the most recent edition of the race won by Aston Bolero for leading trainer Jason Thompson.

Betting on the Group 2 Bendigo Cup

Being a group race, the Bendigo Cup is a keenly contested series attracting the best greyhounds from across Victoria as well as interstate.

With the top dogs in action, there is always plenty of betting activity on the race. As such, all of our recommended online bookmakers offer fixed odds betting in the lead up to both the heats and final once the fields and box draws have been decided.

Some bookies, such as Bet365 and Sportsbet, also offer all-in markets on the winner of the final prior to the heats – a concept which can give punters extra value if they are skilful enough to pick the winner early in the series.

Of course, all-in betting comes with risks – you don’t get your money back if your chosen greyhound fails to make the final, however in many cases the odds are so juicy it is worth the risk if you spot something you fancy.

Bendigo Cup Betting

Group 2 Bendigo Cup – history

The Bendigo Cup was first run over 400 years at the old Eaglehawk track just outside of Bendigo in 1957. The inaugural race was taken out by Cantee. The race remained over 400 yards until the 1970s when it was instead held over the 528m distance.

In 1988 the race moved to the new track at the Lords Raceway and it was once again reverted back to the shorter distances, this time to 430m, except for in 2001 when it was conducted over the middle distance of 545.

The Bendigo Cup was held twice in 2014 – a move which allowed the race to shift into an early July date which is when it is held to this day.

Since its inception, the Bendigo Cup has been won by some sensational sprinters – many of whom have forged names for themselves as stars of the one turn circuit. Previous winners include Lansley Bale (1998), El Galo (2008), Ronan Izmir (2013), Paw Licking (2014), Fernando Bale (2015) and Aston Bolero (2016).

The next edition of the Group 2 Bendigo Cup is due to be run on July 7, 2017.

Group 2 Bendigo Cup – the recent years

• 2016: Aston Bolero finally broke through for a deserved win at group level when taking out the 2016 Bendigo Cup. The son of Fabregas and Aston Dream was smartly away from box two and put in a brilliant front running performance to defeat Gotta Get Back and Unlawful Entry. The victory was win 27 from 45 starts for the Jason Thompson-trained dog, elevating his prize money earnings above the $165,000 mark for owner/breeder Ray Border.
• 2015: Fernando Bale was all the rage in the 2015 Bendigo Cup and the champion greyhound showed exactly why with a faultless exhibition from box three. It was the white and dark brindle speedster’s 15th straight win and propelled his prize money earnings beyond the $680,000 mark for trainer Andrea Dailly and owner/breeder Paul Wheeler. A son of Kelsos Fusileer and Chloe Allen, Fernando Bale clocked 23.40 when winning the final, having clocked a new track record 23.39 in his heat the week prior. Shared Equity and Breathing Fire rounded out the placings in second and third respectively.
• 2014: Two editions of the Bendigo Cup were run in 2014. The first was taken out by former one turn superstar Paw Licking, registering his 32nd career win for Kel Greenough with the determined triumph. The white and black dog used box one to perfection, holding off a late challenge to defeat Deadly Vane and Matt’s Entity. The second running of the Bendigo Cup in 2014 was won by Warrior King for Brooke and Jamie Ennis which beat home Senor Socks and White Spyro in a slick 23.75.

Group 2 Bendigo Cup – honour roll