Bigger tracks, Bigger Prize money, Bigger trainers is the way the US went years ago, need I say more.

I would like more dogs bred, more owners and trainers and more tracks. It is all doable with the right administration. The easy way is to close things.

G'day Daryl, how's it going.............can you pls explain the reasons for this ? If it's only to cater for dogs that cant quite get 500m and prevent wastage fair enuf or even as a stepping stone to the 500m trip, but I can only remember 1 really outstanding dog (there were probably others), that was a specialist 450m type that was ok at 500m and had a stud career - his name was ironically Exceptional - a very very special type over that trip.

So I guess I'm questioning the value of this esp at city prizemoney if the return is for less than a handful of superstar types say over a ten yr period of time. Obviously you see it differently, so just asking. Cheers m8.

Hopefully, GRNSW will grow a set soon and move this sport forward and give up on the Wentworth Park dream

And here we have the direction of NSW Greyhound Racing

The Greyhound Recorder 16th June 2020

COMMENT: NSWs Disturbing Racing Trend Revealed

NSW was once regarded as the racing and breeding powerhouse of greyhound racing in Australia, yet recently, its relevance has been under duress.

Adam Dobbin 16 June 2020

New South Wales was once regarded as the racing and breeding powerhouse of greyhound racing in Australia, yet in recent times, its relevance has come under serious duress.

Armed with state of the art commercial establishments and boasting breeding magnates Paul Wheeler and Martin Hallinan, New South Wales has long been considered the vital cog to the Australian greyhound racing landscape.

But despite boasting the largest breeding ground in the country, statistics continue to demonstrate an alarming trend towards short course racing.

And its a rapid incline thats accelerating quickly, dwarfing whats being exhibited in other jurisdictions.

Just 12 months back, based upon supply and demand modelling, GRNSW elected to harmonize TAB prize money across the board.

It meant prizemoney returns for say a 272m grade five event at The Gardens would reward connections the same as a 535m stamina test at Richmond.

At the time, feedback was mixed yet GRNSW pressed on, arguing demand (supply of dogs over distances beyond 500m) was not sustaining events beyond 400m in a structured (meeting content) manner.

Hard and fast was the edict an edict thats continued to see 500 metre plus racing in NSW diminish.

The short course prizemoney increases, which did away with TAB C or non-TAB racing, parlayed a winners prize money from $850 to $1500 a 76% increase.

The debate was, and still is, two-fold.

The prizemoney equalisation will be promoted by those asserting a short-course greyhound costs the same to feed therefore connections should be rewarded equally.

Conversely, that same short course dog can (and often does) race twice per week while a middle distance specialist will only ever race once, subject to attaining a start which is proving more and more problematic in NSW.

And therein lies another issue GRNSW must attend to race programming.

Its in need of radical reworking to work within the confines of the new grading system.

Breeders in NSW, the largest by number in the country, have yet to react but pressure will build.

Whats the point of breeding with a dog (stud dog or brood bitch) which has staying stamina as a calling when demand is down (sale-ability) and opportunity on the track is diminished if not non-existent?

The answer is to incentivise breeders, owners and trainers to work towards developing 500 metre plus greyhounds and sustain the long-term fabric and viability of the industry.

Balance is a must of course. Yet complete prizemoney equalisation does not cut the mustard.

Some will argue the circumstances we work in rewards mediocrity and the model certainly has not fostered premium 500m plus racing and the numbers support that principle.

The model of racing a high volume of sprint dogs multiple times a week for heightened prize money and starter subsidies has become profitable.

Scratching around for a 500m, or dare say 600 or 700m event, has not.

Its all-but futile and the need to shift those talented stronger types interstate is becoming increasingly automatic.

Stats for July to March (FY19/20) show theres been a significant downturn in NSW racing over 450m and beyond. And, by the numbers, the trend is accelerating.

In fact, aside from the Northern Territory, no jurisdiction is responsible for a greater percentage of their racing being staged shy of 420m than NSW.

A massive 68 percent of 9630 races conducted in NSW this financial year have been staged over 420m and less.

In Victoria, just 43 percent of their 10469 races have been staged over 420m or less while in Queensland, 52 percent of their 4426 races have been conducted at

NSW is pandering to the short coursers

Once again, Gillian, some useful questions.

Predictably, all your responses were much of a muchness people want more of everything, including money. Thats to be expected. And no single suggestion is bad, although how you put them all together is problematical.

The conundrum is that the industry has two prime determinants breeding and money and both of them are suspect as they face an uncertain future. For the last two decades both have been trending downwards; covid-19 is making it worse and will continue to do so for the next year or two, if not longer.

Meantime, Grafton and other spots are to get occasional boosts (ie via city prize levels) and Taree is being added to a TAB list which already has trouble filling boxes, all at a time when income is falling like a stone. The arithmetic is puzzling.

All this is in the face of what Robert Gottleibsen, (in The Australian, 16 June 2020) described as a situation where Enterprises, small and large, are re-examining the way they do business and that will crystallise the job losses that we knew were coming.

So what are our good points? First, we have a continuing batch of quality sprinting dogs at the top and, second, a number of experienced, high quality trainers.

The negatives are a motley collection of tracks (including the above Grafton where the prime 484m trip starts on a bend and the camber on the home turn needs attention), and the risky nature of future income from unemployed gamblers. To those I would add ever-increasing operating costs for authorities and participants and, given current patterns, too many tracks. Or, too many of a certain standard, whatever that means.

The answer, as Gillian implied, is to return to pre-2010 patterns, to get rid of the me-too A, B and C classes and to limit the industry to just two levels; good and country. Good means quality racing with quality dogs paying say $2,000 for 5th Grade winners, Country means whatever is left over where winners pick up, say, $100 to keep the flag flying. Included in that mix would be higher pay for longer trips.

This creates a system which encourages excellence and a clear progression to higher standard racing. In time, it can strengthen the breed. With those features we have something to promote and something to reward better performance from breeders, dogs and trainers. Without them we have only a mish-mash going nowhere.

If "Country" tracks came down to the $100 level they need not be dropped.

Still, Casino (a tricky circuit) is hardly needed when Lismore is a short distance away and caters to the same trainers and customers.

Not so Shepparton which races at least twice weekly, and substitutes for the lost Wang and Albury clubs, or Northam which is seasonal only (although it has just lost its mid-distance trip).

On the other hand, Freo gets a lifeline from the AFL policy of splitting most cash equally amount all clubs. It may one day see a return to its days of glory. Maybe greyhounds should do this?

We are talking Harold Park and the list of stud dogs that come from that track is many...including the immortal Brother Fox.
One turn tracks are (in my opinion) a better indication of a pure speed dog than any two turn track. Box bias is taken out of the equation and early speed is only one factor, you have to have sustained speed to win consistently over the one turn tracks.
A good guide to Wenty park for me used to be a good run at Bulli 472m. It was as hard a run as the 520 at Wenty.
I believe for the breed we need a city one turn track to showcase stud dogs that dont just throw early speed to get to the first corner, but ones that can throw sustained speed and stamina .

Back on to topic. The politicians especially the Nationals have widely acknowledged that the widespread footprint of greyhound racing throughout country NSW & its nature as a hobbyist sport was one reason that saved the industry. What is needed is to try and turn as many of those tracks into venues that can be televised and earn some $$ for participants in line with the rising costs of owning and training greyhounds

Sure re BF, but what I was saying was how many of those studs were also as good and even better over the 500m trip ? Not saying you don't have a case but the main one that sticks in my mind in Vic was Exceptional who was a real specialist horseshoe 450m type (compared to the 500m), who was patronised somewhat at stud. As I said there were probably others.

Daryl gave us a few names one of which was Winifred Bale who won a Sandown Laurels over 500m, so don't know you cld say that she was better over 450m for example. This by no means is saying they cldn't run fast over the 450m but specialist 450m types only ?.....Winifred was just as good if not better over 500m.