Sandown Announce Major Changes To Group Racing Carnivals
The Sandown Greyhound Racing Club today announced significant changes to its Group racing calendar for the 2010/11 season.
The changes form part of a broader Australian Greyhound Racing Association initiative aimed at redeveloping the calendar to minimise clashes between Group races of similar distances and conditions.
The new calendar will have the following impact on Sandown Park feature races:
- The McKenna Memorial will move from June to July and will drop back in distance from 715m to 595m
- The Sir John Dillon Memorial (715m) moves to late October and will constitute the opening event event of the November Superdogs series and serve as a lead-up event for the Group 1 Bold Trease Carnival Cup (715m)
- The Group 1 Sapphire Crown for open age bitches moves from November to May
- The Henry Harrison Memorial (715m) replaces the Group 2 Maidment Memorial (retaining the same Group status and conditions) and will be run as a lead-up event to the Sandown Cup
- The Dawson final (515m) moves forward from early June to coincide with the Sandown Cup series
- The Laurels (515m) for restricted age bitches moves from June to December to coincide with the Silver Chief series at The Meadows
- The Bold Trease Carnival Cup (715m) elevates to Group 1 status
- The Lizrene (715m) and Maidment Memorial (595m) will henceforth be scheduled as Special Events
The result will mean a more streamlined racing calendar with two feature carnivals (the Sky Racing Superdogs in November, and Macro Meats Autumn Carnival in May), with each eventually culminating in a dual Group 1 race night (The Dawson is scheduled to become a Group 1 race in 2015).
In addition to the above changes, new minimum staking levels take affect from 1 July 2011 that will see all Group 1 races carry a minimum of $75,000 to the winner, Group 2 races a minimum $40,000 to the winner, and Group 3 races a minimum $25,000 to the winner.
The Sky Racing Superdogs Carnival (late October to mid-November)
WEEK 1: Group 2 Sir John Dillon Memorial Heats (715m)
WEEK 2: Group 2 Sir John Dillon Memorial Final (715m)
WEEK 3: The Group 3 Macro Meats Shootout (515m)
Final Preludes of the Solo Melbourne Cup (515m)
WEEK 4:Group 1 Solo Melbourne Cup Heats (515m), Group 1 Bold Trease Carnival Cup Heats (715m) – Best 32 noms
WEEK 5: Group 1 Solo Melbourne Cup Final (515m), Group 1 Bold Trease Carnival Cup Final (715m)
The Macro Meats Autumn Carnival (late April to early June)
WEEK 1: Group 2 Henry Harrison Memorial Heats (715m)
WEEK 2: Group 2 Henry Harrison Memorial Final (715m), Special Event – Dave Hodgson Memorial (595m)
WEEK 3: Special Event – Bill Collins Memorial (515m)
WEEK 4: Group 1 Radio Sport 927 Sandown Cup Heats (715m), The Group 3 Dawson Heats (515m) – Best 32 noms
WEEK 5: Group 1 Radio Sport 927 Sandown Cup Final (715m), The Group 3 Dawson Final (515m)
WEEK 6: Group 1 Macro Meats Sapphire Crown Heats (515m) – Female greyhounds
WEEK 7: Group 1 Macro Meats Sapphire Crown Final (515m)