MORE than $250,000 in prizemoney has been committed to a race series which will underpin the relaunch of a NSW Puppy Auction to be staged in May next year.
On Wednesday, Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW) CEO Rob Macaulay announced plans for NSW to reintroduce an annual Puppy Auction “to provide an easy and accessible entry for newcomers into the sport.”
Over the years, both Dapto and Richmond have staged successful Puppy Auctions, yet both initiatives have ceased prior to the industry undergoing a significant transformation in recent years.
Yet with prize money at an all-time high and the industry on solid footing, Macaulay has declared the time is right for the reintroduction of a Puppy Auction in New South Wales.
“This is exciting news for all of our participants in the sport, but is also guaranteed to bring new people into greyhound racing,” Macaulay said.
“The initiative is expected to make it easier for newcomers and syndicates to get into racing, and to link up breeders, trainers and new owners.
“A Puppy Auction slots in very well with our work around syndication also, which will soon come to fruition with more details on the horizon.”
Plans are well advanced for the first auction to be staged at Richmond in May, 2024 where pups whelped between July 1, 2023 and January 31, 2024 will be eligible.
It’s anticipated the first races series for greyhounds graduating from the Auction will be staged in November 2025 at a venue to be determined.
Another to welcome the news is successful breeder, owner, trainer and Greyhound Clubs NSW President Shayne Stiff.
“This is great news for our industry,” he said.
“There is a lot of money in greyhound racing in NSW at the moment, and we are getting interest all the time from people wanting to get involved.
“Now is the time with the sport flourishing to have events like this auction and entice more people to become owners.
“An auction with a race series worth $250,000 is of course beneficial to breeders, but you can be guaranteed that it will attract new people into the industry, and when syndication is in place, there will be plenty of interest from syndicates in this auction.”
