GRNSW announce The Thunderbolt world’s richest short course greyhound race

Greyhound Racing New South Wales () has today announced an new “pop up” short course greyhound race called “”.

To be run at , the new feature race final is to be worth $75,000 to the winner. GRNSW are claiming the race to be the world's richest short course race.

Eight regional heats that GRNSW claim will carry $200,000 in prizemoney will qualify greyhounds for the semi final and final series at the country greyhound track.

GRNSW Chief Executive Officer, Mr Tony Mestrov, said “The Thunderbolt becomes the latest piece in the calendar puzzle in our attempts to cater for all participants and their greyhounds – ranging from short-course dogs to distance dogs.

“We are incredibly proud of the fact that NSW is now home to the world's richest events across all racing distance ranges, with The Thunderbolt ticking that final box for the short-course sprinters.

“Four years ago we established the world's richest race, the Chase, and following on from the enormous success of that event, which builds year on year, we have continued to look at new events that cater for participants and also raise the profile of our industry. We have since established the world's richest distance and middle-distance events, and now the world's richest short-course race.

“The industry feedback is that there has never been a better time to get into greyhound racing, and while the feature races are focal points on the national calendar, GRNSW also understands that all levels of racing need to be catered for, which is why $47million will be distributed as a part of record prizemoney increases across the board this year, from metropolitan to grass-roots country tracks.”

Heats of The Thunderbolt will be staged across regional NSW in late May and early June, with the semi-finals at Grafton on June 11 and the $75,000-to-the-winner final at Grafton over 350m June 19.

In the announcement of dates and venues for The Thunderbolt series, Mr Metsrov said GRNSW was again investing in regional clubs with a showcase event.

“We all saw last Saturday night with the Country Classic final at Dubbo how hugely successful these big nights can be at our regional tracks, and I have no doubt it will be a similar case at Grafton on June 19,” he said.

“Our feedback from many people at Dubbo last Saturday was that the night had one of the best atmospheres they have ever witnessed on a greyhound track, and we're aiming to replicate that at The Thunderbolt at Grafton.

“Heats for The Thunderbolt will draw plenty of interest at , Gunnedah, , , , , and Grafton – and we've seen the success of this regional formula in all of our world's richest race events, including the Million Dollar Chase.”

The heats will be Non-Grade Best 32 + reserves, with winners of the heats qualify for the semi-finals at Grafton on June 11.

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