The numbers may not be as huge as previous years but Gold Cup time has again created a lot of excitement around the Dubbo Greyhound Racing Club.
Two heats of the feature will be run at Dawson Park tonight while the 11-race meeting also features three heats of the popular P & B Miller Memorial.
“Maitland only had eight races the other night andthere’s been only six orseven-dog races at WentyPark,” Dubbo club presidentShayne Stiff said.
“That’s because we’reabout 22 months in afterracing was banned sobreeding just stopped for six months.
“It’s hitting quicklynow and there’s a lack ofdogs around.”
While the quantity mightnot be there, the quality certainlywill be on Friday night.
Some of the best trainersand dogs in NSW will be inaction and Stifffound it no suprise to seemore numbers for the P & BMiller series.
The likes of RaymondSmith, Dennis Barnes, Pauland Pamela Braddon, DarrylPrestwidge and hometownhope Charmaine Robertswill all be in action and vyingfor a special title.
“It’s only a race we startedthree or four years ago butBill and Peg (Miller) werevery, very, very nice peopleand they’re the grandparentsof the Barnes’,” Stiff said.
“Charmaine had a lot oftime for them and learntfrom them and I got one ofmy very first dogs from themback about 30 years ago.
“And just the concept. Youknow you’re going up againstmaidens or dogs who haveonly had one or two wins soit’s a good concept.”
The first P & B Miller heatshapes as a highlight withZipping Kretch, trained byPrestwidge and owned bythe Hallinans of Molong,taking on Barnes’ promisingNangar Blaze and the Smith trainedIrinka Josh, as wellas David Pringle’s MidnightStarlet and Bogan Villa fromthe kennels of Neil Staines.
The Gold Cup heats alsofeature plenty of big nameswith the first of the two shapingas the more competitive.
Braddon’s superstar, a dogStiff labelled one of the bestin the country, Falcon’s Furywill go from box seven whilekennelmate Spring Jazz,Barnes’ Little Nangar andSmith’s Group 1 winner BigDaddy Bee are other leadingcontenders.
The second heat featuresclass duo Ferrero Missand Little Digger, trainedby Braddon and Smith respectively,as well as the“new little boom dog”, DollyStreet, trained locally byPaul Meredith.
Racing starts 7.01pm tonight withfinals the following Friday night.
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