One Hot Bandit crowned 2024/25 NZ Greyhound of the Year
Peter Fenemor • September 23rd, 2025 10:29 AM • 4 min read
The 2024/25 racing season was a season which the classy greyhound One Hot Bandit completely dominated the Addington 525m race distance, and he was rewarded by being deservedly announced as the 2024/25 New Zealand Greyhound of the Year (GOTY) during Saturday’s annual GRNZ awards evening in Wellington.
That domination saw One Hot Bandit winning all 15 525m races that he contested at the Garden City venue, which included the nation’s biggest race, the $100,000 Springston Hotel New Zealand Cup when prepared by Dave and Jean Fahey.
From 1 January One Hot Bandit came under the tuition of the newly formed Dave Fahey and Katie Wyllie training partnership where he continued on with his winning Addington ways.
One Hot Bandit also occupied the minor placings in two other Group 1 finals – the $50,000 Spion Rose Cup (second) at the Hatrick Raceway and the $80,000 Auckland Cup final (third) at the Manukau Stadium.
In total One Hot Bandit contested 21 races during the season, winning 16 of them. He won $130,949 in stakes for his owners Punters HQ and Emma Potts.
One Hot Bandit also received the Middle Distance GOTY award.
“He’s a good boy. It was awesome winning the New Zealand Cup which ticked off a bucket list wish.
“For him to now be named as the NZ Greyhound of the Year is so very special. It is remarkable what One Hot Bandit achieved during the year – to be unbeaten in 15 races at Addington is so amazing.
“Huge thanks to Dave, Jean and Katie who are truly amazing trainers,” enthused Potts, who wasn’t at the awards evening, although she was kept up to date regularly during the evening.
“Georgie (Lozell) sent me videos, so I was able to watch Dave’s and Katie’s speeches. Katie sent me a number of photos,” added Potts.
Dave and Jean Fahey, along with Katie Wyllie were regular attendees at the podium during the evening, being presented with two other racing category awards.
The Sprinter of the Year award won by Opawa Racing bred and owned Opawa Marsh, who won the nation’s richest sprint race, the Gr. 1 $40,000 Suck it Up Ltd Galaxy Sprint along with 15 other short course sprints.
“Opawa Marsh enjoyed a phenomenal season at Addington. It was pleasing to see him win the Galaxy Sprint. It was a pleasure to train him for Opawa racing and especially for Robin (Wales),” advised Dave Fahey.
Jerry Cola enjoyed an outstanding season for his breeders and owners, the Fahey’s. He successfully mixed his sprinting assignments with 457m racing, which saw him winning the Gr. 1 New Zealand Derby and the Gr.2 North Island Challenge Stakes.
Jerry Cola made the Addington 295m sprint his own, breaking the track record on five occasions, finishing with his slick 16.42 sprint.
“Jerry is a speed machine. He was an absolute machine at Addington. He was the highest stake earner from the greyhounds that we bred.
“Jerry’s New Zealand Derby win was especially pleasing for us having bred, train and race him,” commented Fahey.
It was back-to-back Stayer of the Year titles for the outstanding Matt Roberts mentored stayer Chief Dribble being acknowledged as the nation’s leading stayer.
Chief Dribble thrived when racing over the Addington 732m distance, winning all seven of his staying races at the venue, often by big margins.
Chief Dribble convincedly won the Group 1 $40,000 Rose & Thistle New Zealand Stayers Cup, cutting out his 732m assignment in 42.74 while building his 7.30 length margin.
Two editions of the Group 2 $20,000 Ray Adcock Memorial were contested during the season and Chief Dribble strongly annexed both 732m finals.
Chief Dribble contested 18 staying races during the season, winning 10 and placing five of them. That added up to $91,000 in stake earnings for his owner Mandy Haines.
The NZ Trainer of the Year was again won by the dominant Palmerston North based conditioner Lisa Cole.
The Cole kennel applied the finishing touches to 772 race winners during the season, which included 12 Group race winners.
The family-based operation, which includes husband Brendon, daughters Ella and Georgia, along with sons Monty, Max and Sam, produced greyhounds to win an outstanding $3,118,135 in stake earnings.
The NZ Trainers Strike Rate title was only decided during the very last day of the 2024/25 season.
Dave and Jean Fahey led the strike rate table with a UDR figure of 0.4897 until their training partnership was dissolved on 31 December.
From 1 January it was Dave Fahey and Katie Wyllie who trained from the Balcairn located kennels.
The strike rate lead alternated between the two groups for the balance of the season with Fahey and Wyllie leading going into that final Addington meeting. They completed the meeting with their UDR score sitting at 0.4883.
“Yes, it was intriguing watching how the figures swapped around over the later months. It was satisfying to win the award again with Jean.
“We have won it before, although we struggled during the seasons when Karen Walsh was winning it.
“I guess Katie and I have to keep up our strike race this season,” said Dave Fahey.
And keep it up they certainly are, having already built an extremely impressive 0.5530 UDR figure.
Big Time Paddy and Federal Infrared tied for the NZ Sire of the Year award, while the prolific producing Isavana was deservedly named as the NZ Dam of the Year award winner.
The TAB Run of the Year was awarded to Riley Evans prepared Goldstar Ginny, whose blistering last to first victory in the Gr. 2 Theressa McDonald Cup victory over 747m at the Cambridge Raceway had to be seen to be believed.
Each month throughout the 2024/25 racing season the GRNZ Board selected from nominations received a monthly GRNZ Board winner, which recognizes the valued input that industry participants aged under 30 years provides the industry.
The list of quality candidates for the 2024/25 award made an extremely difficult task in deciding the overall Board award winner.
20-year-old Jack Johnson was announced as the GRNZ Board winner, receiving a $5,000 grant.
It was a remarkable season for Johnson, highlighted by him becoming the youngest ever trainer of New Zealand’s most prestigious staying race, the Duke Of Edinburgh Silver Collar (832m) with Opawa Corban.
