When Five Group Ones Aren’t Enough - Greyhound's Annual Awards
Mark Rosanowski • September 19th, 2024 1:19 PM
Chances are that if you only know the name of one greyhound racing at present it’s He’s All Go. That could be because you know one of the many high profile cross-code owners or you have heard him talked about in unusual forums like Trackside on a group one Saturday afternoon. The latter reason (perhaps Latta reason) is linked to the first.
In case you’ve missed the fuss, from the time He’s All Go stepped out on a racetrack on January 5 until the end of the racing season on July 31, the bodacious black dog raced 26 times for 23 wins including an astonishing five group ones from as many attempts on the four different tracks that host them. To add a bold exclamation mark he broke the 457 metre track record at Manawatu Raceway during the last greyhound meeting of the season.
So, He’s All Go was the NZ Greyhound of the Year for 2023/24 right? No. Any other year, yes. In a lot of other seasons the third middle distance dog of the year category finalist, Blazin’ Master (23 wins, two group ones, $207,000 stakes) probably would have won it. This time he didn’t get a sniff. However, the season recently concluded was nothing short of extraordinary and the big gong went to a third Lisa Cole kennel representative, Federal Infrared.
A panel of eight members, independent of Greyhound Racing New Zealand, voted five to three in favour of the canine Fed Express. Full disclosure, I was one of the three in He’s All Go’s kennel, so to speak.
Federal Infrared won two less group ones but that is not of course the only factor in determining the outright winner. Her record was similarly remarkable. 39 starts for 29 wins, 24 of those at c5 (the top class in the code) level. Her trio of g1 triumphs were complemented by two group twos and three other ‘recognised’ races. She accumulated $220,000 in the 12 months under review compared to $143k for He’s All Go’s seven month spree.
Just prior to her retirement near the end of the season the greyhound that answers the kennel call of “Sushi” broke through the $400k barrier having comfortably surpassed the previous New Zealand stakes record of $377k earned by Little Mother from the same kennel twelve years ago.
Federal Infrared won the biggest middle distance race of the year, the New Zealand Cup, last November at Addington along with the Spion Rose and the Wanganui Cup closer to home at Hatrick Raceway. She also ran third in the group one Waterloo Cup at Manukau in June in what I considered the defining moment of the season when He’s All Go swept past her & then Blazin’ Master to post his fourth blue riband event. It was the only time the pair met on the track.
19 days later He’s All Go added a fifth feature in the form of the New Zealand Futurity, the most difficult restricted group one race to win as it is open to male, female, Australian import & NZ-bred greyhounds born within a certain period. Other restricted elite events that he collected were the coveted NZ Derby and the NZ St Leger. Apart from the battle of the Waterloo Cup, He’s All Go also won one other open group one, the Hatrick Classic, defeating Blazin’ Master during a time that Federal Infrared was on the sideline.
He’s All Go did claim one trophy for the White Horse Toaster Syndicate at the Entain and Greyhounds Australasia-sponsored ceremony in Christchurch last Saturday, that of the New Zealand-bred Greyhound of the Year, heading off the two-time group one winning stayer Grande Vue Ace, the darling of Geraldine.
In another close category GVA lost out to the Duke of Edinburgh Silver Collar victor Chief Dribble in the Stayer of the Year. That performance in track record time over the ultimate 779 metre journey at Manukau earned the Chief the TAB Run of the Year as well. Dribble did defeat GVA by comfortable margins on all five occasions that they met during the term.
Chief Dribble is prepared near Christchurch by Matt Roberts whose father Craig was on hand to receive the Sprinter of the Year title on behalf of the group one Galaxy winner Levi Bale for the second successive season.
Lisa Cole was again crowned as the Trainer of the Year with 917 wins at an impressive UDR for such a large team of 0.3551, accumulating record riches of $3,792,177. It’s worth noting that the Cole kennel is not the largest in the country in terms of dogs raced or number of starters. The Strike Rate Trainer award went to Jamie Pruden & Sophie Whittaker who from their Tirau base rugged up 23 winners at 0.4597. Pruden is now training on his own account near Palmerston North.
Bigtime Paddy bagged his second NZ-based Sire title in a row while the Dam award was shared between He’s All Go’s Mum, Big Time Izzy, and Kiacatoo Fever.
The inaugural Entain Unsung Hero of the Year is Karen Vuidreketi, who is busy in the Canterbury greyhound rehoming space through her work at Nightrave Greyhounds and Great Mates Kirwee. She received a $1,000 cash prize courtesy of Entain.
The annual GRNZ Board award selected from the 12 monthly winners for industry participants aged under 30 was won by Chloe Watson. The Greyhounds Australasia-sponsored award earned the winner $5,000 to invest in personal development within the industry.
Competition is healthy so if the industry can be judged on awards results alone it’s in a good space. The presence of protesters at the entrance to the Christchurch Theatre Royal acknowledges issues in other areas that I will cover in due course.
Photo at the top of the Page:
Edward Rennell, (Greyhound Racing NZ CEO) presents the Greyhound of the Year award, alongside Ella Cole and Sophie Claridge.
Image supplied by GRNZ
