Wellington Greyhound Racing Club are making big plans for their Christmas TAB meeting which is to be held at Solway Showgrounds in Masterton on Sunday, December 23.
Normally this meeting would have been staged at Hutt Park in Petone but with that venue no longer operational Wellington have elected to race
at Solway, home of the Wairarapa GRC who will conduct their own meetings there on December 27, January 3 and January 24.
Feature race at the Wellington meeting will be the time-honoured E.J Wing Memorial Cup which will carry prize money of $3000 and will be expected to attract some of the best class five middle distance greyhounds in the country.
One of them is likely to be Thrilling Hugo, who has been in rare form since joining Dave Amundsen's Masterton kennels after formerly being prepared by New Zealand's leading strike rate trainer Karen Walsh.
He has had just the five starts for Amundsen and won four of them, including setting a new track record for 457m at Manawatu.
Stamina is a vital commodity over the 545m at Solway and Thrilling Hugo is well served in that respect.
The Wellington Hurdles with $2000 will see the appearance of Aranui Flash, the current New Zealand Hurdler of the Year and winner of his last seven starts over the sticks.
Owned and trained by Carol Morris of Woodville he has faced the starter on 119 occasions for 23 wins and 39 minor placings and has earned more than $31,000 in stake money.
Morris will use the Wellington Hurdles as the final dress rehearsal for the New Zealand Championship Hurdles, the heats of which are scheduled for the Wairarapa meeting on December 27 and the final on January 3.
Another interesting race at the Wellington meeting will be a special conditioned event for greyhounds whelped before January 1 2004 and there will be also be a restricted age event carrying a stake of $2000.
Plans are underway too to provide incentives for trainers from all over New Zealand to be represented at the December 23 meeting with a bonus of $500 going to any trainer who prepares three or more winners.
A punter's club is also planned with at least one of the presenters from the popular Trackside greyhound racing programme, On the Bunny, a guest selector there.
