GRNSW hope ‘third time lucky’ with a new Richmond Puppy Auction
Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW) has unveiled plans for a brand new puppy auction and race series worth $250,000 to effectively replace the two prior failed NSW puppy auctions held at Richmond.
The Richmond Riches puppy auction and race series was launched in 2014 with great fanfare, when a total of 325 pups went under the hammer, yielding a gross amount of $1.4 million.
The hook for the series was that pups going through the sale could race in two years' time for $100,000 in the Richmond Riches race series.
But the puppy auction and race series failed, and the last Richmond Riches race was run in 2020.
A second GRNSW-supported partnership with a private company headquartered out of Palm Beach, Queensland, was launched again at Richmond in 2019, called Gold Muzzle Auctions.
2019 would be the only year the auctions would run for Gold Muzzle, and by 2021, despite a rebrand to Gold Muzzle Sales and Syndications, the series had been cancelled.
What was once a highly visible feature on thedogs.com.au and GRNSW's own websites has since been quietly removed.
Despite both these recent puppy auction and race series failings, and the earlier demise of the Dapto Puppy Auction, GRNSW CEO Rob Macaulay has announced plans for NSW to reintroduce a third attempt at an annual puppy auction to be held at Richmond.
Macaulay claims the auctions will “provide an easy and accessible entry for newcomers into the sport.”
“This is exciting news for all of our participants in the sport, but it is also guaranteed to bring new people into greyhound racing.
“The initiative is expected to make it easier for newcomers and syndicates to get into racing, and to link up breeders, trainers, and new owners.
“A Puppy Auction slots in very well with our work around greyhound syndications, which will soon come to fruition with more details on the horizon,” Macaulay said.
While specific details are unavailable, it is likely that Richmond will again hold the auctions in mid-2024.
Macaulay would not commit to where the ensuing race series would be held, but it may be scheduled for late 2025 or early 2026.
For Macaulay's sake and that of the NSW greyhound industry, let's hope it is a case of “third time lucky” for the Richmond puppy auction and race series concept.