Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW) has today announced details of a new Puppy Auction with the accompanying Auction Race Series to be one of the richest events in NSW.
The GRNSW Puppy Auction will take place in May this year, with the race series - which will carry in excess of $200,000 in total prizemoney - to be conducted in October-November 2025.
The winner of the Auction Race Series Final will collect $150,000, the fourth most lucrative prize in NSW greyhound racing, behind only the Ladbrokes Million Dollar Chase ($1 million), the Ladbrokes 715 ($500,000), and the Ladbrokes Golden Easter Egg ($350,000).
The Auction Race Series will be exclusive to greyhounds auctioned at the GRNSW Puppy Auction to be held on May 26 at Richmond. The Auction will be open to pups born between July 1, 2023, and January 31, 2024.
GRNSW Chief Executive Officer Rob Macaulay said he was delighted to introduce the Puppy Auction and new feature event, which he expects will attract huge interest from syndicators and a new wave of owners.
“The Auction and Race Series are timed perfectly for our upcoming announcement of a new syndication initiative,” he said.
“There has never been a better time to get involved in the sport with prizemoney at record levels, and with a new syndication model imminent this will provide the ideal, easy entry point for newcomers who want to get into the sport.
“While we have had steady growth in syndication participation over the past few years, we expect that to surge with the introduction of the Auction and Race Series.”
Auctions have proven a very successful and popular in greyhound racing in NSW over the past 25 years. Both the Dapto and Richmond race clubs have staged successful Puppy Auctions. The most recent auction held in NSW was the Gold Muzzle Auction held at Richmond in June 2019. The final of that associated race series was won by superstar Flying Ricciardo.
Many graduates from NSW Auctions have gone on to have very successful racing careers including Thirty Talks, Mister Twister and of course 2020 Greyhound of the Year, Flying Riccardo.
“There has been overwhelming support for the return of an auction, something which hasn’t been seen since before COVID-19,” Mr Macaulay said.
“It has been extremely well received by both the potential vendors - the breeders – and potential buyers.”
Apart from the racing prizemoney on offer, GRNSW will offer a number of bonuses for breeders, with $1,000 paid to the breeder of the winner, and $250 to the breeder of each of the other finalists the GRNSW Auction Race Series.
Breeders will also receive a bonus of $500 for each pup that has its first race start in NSW, and a bonus of $500 for each pup that has its first race win in NSW.
While the Auction will be held at Richmond, the venue for the race series is yet to be determined. The series will consist of heats, semi-finals (if required) and a final, and prizemoney allocation for the heats and semi-finals will be in line with the current TAB Non-Graded class prizemoney schedule - or its equivalent - irrespective of how many heats and or semi-finals are conducted.
“While Puppy Auctions have been very successful in the past, I think with the current record prizemoney levels in the sport, and such a lucrative series attached to this Auction, we are likely to see some spirited bidding come May 26,” Mr Macaulay said.
Full details of the Auction and the Auction Race Series can be found on thedogs.com.au.
