COVID-19 forced the cancellation of this year's Wentworth Park's Ladbrokes Golden Easter Egg and the time-honoured National Sprint and Distance Championships but the TAB Million Dollar Chase is going full steam ahead, beginning with round one heats at Gosford on Tuesday night.
Placegetters in the Chase regional final at Gosford on September 8 will qualify for eight semi-finals at Wentworth Park on October 9 with those winners sailing into the $1 million to the winner final at headquarters on October 16.
Early favourite for Tuesday week's Gosford final is Princess Riot, whose trainer Peter Lagogiane and his wife JODIE, won the inaugural Million Dollar Chase grand final in 2018 with Mystic Riot.
Princess Riot is owned by Jimmy Vescos, one of Australia's leading Pigeon Flyers who has long dabbled in greyhound racing as a "sideline'' to the exploits of his 200 prize racing birds.
"Princess Riot has drawn box one in Tuesday night's second heat and that is perfect because she is desperate for the rails,'' Vescos said.
"I bought her as a youngster for $7000 at the Richmond Puppy Auction but probably because she was lot number one I got her cheap, as I was prepared to pay twice that,'' Vescos said.
Last year a pigeon owned and trained by Vescos became the first bird in the history of the sport to fly 1200km in a day.
"It flew from Petersborough in South Australia to Sydney in 11 hours and nine minutes, arriving home in the dark, something that was unheard of,'' Vescos said.
"But my connection with greyhounds goes back further than my pigeon racing interest because as a kid living in Kensington my family and I had famous greyhound neighbours like Les Kirkman, who trained Sammie Sparrow, winner of the 1968 group 1 Vic Peters Classic at Harold Park.
"By 1972 as a nine-year-old I was earning pocket money walking greyhounds for Les and other local trainers like Peter Ververis and Johnny Mavris, my father Frank's cousin.
"In 2009 I bought my first greyhound, Pigeon Flyer, which won four of its first nine starts and won at Wentworth Park, and while Princess Riot, who has won 10 of 17 races is my best, I also own five other greyhounds which show promise.''
Trainer Peter Lagogiane holds a strong hand in Tuesday's Gosford heats as he is delighted with the box eight draw for his other Chase entry Sneaky Marquee, who will wear the pink rug in heat three.
Sneaky Marquee has won six of 15 starts and although she has not previously drawn box eight, Lagogiane prefers seeing her drawn on the outside.
"She doesn't like being crowded and missed a place from box one when favourite at Wentworth Park on August 22 because she had another dog on her outside pressuring her,'' Lagogiane said.
"When that happened Sneaky Marquee ran off the track and lost all chance, so an outside box should suit her.
"Sneaky Marquee's owners John Ryan and Terry Allen, are new to the sport but since seeing her win half a dozen races they have invested in more puppies.''
Lagogiane, a former house painter, spent two years as private greyhound trainer to the Crown Prince of Dubai but was forced to walk away from a lucrative deal, which also included managing the Prince's private zoo, when his father in Australia became ill.
Shortly after his return, Mystic Riot created history when she won connections $1 million in the inaugural Million Dollar Chase at Wentworth Park in 2018.
Placegetters in all regional finals, as well as six Australian state sprint and NZ championship winners, eight Wentworth Park Prelude winners from October 3 (along with four fastest runners-up) will contest the "sudden death'' MDC semi-finals at Wentworth Park on October 9, a week before the sport's biggest night of the year, highlighted by the Million Dollar Chase final.
