NSW Champion Stadiums withdraws from National final, gets four-week ban
The trainer of the 2024 NSW National Straight Track Champion, Stadiums, has declined to travel to South Australia so the greyhound could take its place in the Group 3 National final at Murray Bridge, and has been hit with a four-week racing ban on racing the greyhound.
Stadiums won the 2024 NSW National Straight Track Championship on August 8, at the Richmond Straight Track, qualifying for the Group 3 National Straight Track Championship at Murray Bridge.
NSW greyhound trainer Stephen Davies has since advised Greyhound Racing South Australia (GRSA) and Greyhound Clubs Australia (GCA) that he “had chosen not to travel to SA and will not compete in the series.”
Davies further advised that there “were no physical issues with the greyhound” that would prevent Stadiums from competing in Murray Bridge.
GRSA advised that “pursuant to Nationals conditions, withdrawing for this reason is not acceptable.”
Under the race conditions for full 2024 Group 3 National Straight Track Championship race series, which includes the state qualifying series, withdrawing from the National final without valid reason will lead to penalty or disqualification.
The race conditions reads:
“In the event of any greyhound being withdrawn without a valid reason after the draw has been published for any race that forms part of the National Straight Track Championship, the greyhound may be liable for a penalty, in accordance with the Rules that apply at the Club/Authority which is publishing the draw.”
Following GRSA’s interpretation of the race conditions, they referred the matter to the GRSA Stewards, who “have advised the trainer that this greyhound (Stadiums) would be removed from the series (National Straight Track Championship series) with a 28-day penalty imposed under the rules of racing from the date of the National final.”
The penalty means Stadiums will be ineligible to race again until Sunday, September 22, 2024.
There is no GCA wildcard ranking’s system in place for the 2024 Group 3 National Straight Track Championship race series, so under the race conditions, stadiums will be replaced by the next highest qualified greyhound from the home state, SA.
With first and second from each of the four state qualifying National Straight Track Championship finals already selected for the Group 3 final, the next highest SA qualified greyhound is Myall Ray.
The Tracie Price-trained greyhound finished third in the SA National Straight Track Championship final at Murray Bridge, behind So Be It.
2024 SA National Straight Track Championship – So Be It (19.07) T: Bosko Stamenkovic
The host state (SA) also provides the reserves for the 2024 Group 3 National Straight Track Championship final, and they are as follows:
- Agent Nineteen – Ben Rawlings – SA – 4th SA National Straight TrackChampionship
- Myall Jack – Tracie Price – SA – 5th SA National Straight Track Championship
The official final field for the 2024 Group 3 National Straight Track Championship to be run at Murray Bridge, South Australia on Saturday morning, August 24, is:
2024 Group 3 National Straight Track Championship Final
- So Be It – Bosko Stamenkovic – SA
- Cash On Delivery – Cameron Forshaw – SA
- Myall Ray – Tracie Price – SA
- Hara’s Buddy – Jemma Daley – QLD
- Sheezel – Brent Kline – QLD
- Zipping Gryllis – Brooke Ennis – VIC
- Mile A Minute – Jackie Greenough – VIC
- Express Ethics – David Smith – NSW
- Agent Nineteen – Ben Rawlings – SA
- Myall Jack – Tracie Price – SA
Reserves:
The box draw for the 2024 Group 3 National Straight Track Championship final will be performed later today (Friday, August 16) at Adelaide Oval at 1:45 PM local time (2:15 PM AEST).