Gawler Produce Stake Heats Draw Close
Greyhound Racing SA (GRSA) and the Gawler Greyhound Racing Club will conduct the 2008 Gawler Produce Stake from next Tuesday afternoon (15th July).
At close of nominations, 49 greyhounds remained from those that had made the required payments. As a result, there will be seven heats of the event run on Tuesday and three semi-finals the following Tuesday (22nd).
The Final will be run on Sunday 27th July as a twilight meeting, covered by Sky Channel. It is the first time that the event will be run on a Sunday, having been on Monday night's for the last few years.
A decision was made last year to push the race back by two months, to allow greyhounds to be more mature and the numbers remaining appear to have vindicated the decision. Last year there were four heats.
The 2008 Gawler Produce Stake is a series for greyhounds whelped in 2006 and is a “Futurity” event requiring payments which began in October last year.
The prizemoney breakdown for the series will be as follows:
- Tuesday 15th July 7 heats @ $900
- Tuesday 22nd July 3 Semi-finals @ $1,600
This year's series includes a number of newcomers or greyhounds with recent interstate form.
Drink Driver made the Anniversary Cup Final in April and ran a creditable third, so he goes into the series as the early favourite. He won well at Angle Park recently in his first run back from injury.
The Produce Stake has a long history with some top winners over the years.
Scull Murphy won the race in 2007 and went on to win the SA Greyhound of the Year title.
In 2006 it was Ten Tornados, which went on to represent SA in the National Sprint Championship and was a Finalist for the SA Greyhound of the Year.
While the 2005 winner, Magic Lee, was also SA Greyhound of the Year for that year.