Greyhound challenge tipped to be a winner

The Wairarapa Greyhound Racing Club has come up with what should be a sure winner for their TAB meeting at Solway Showgrounds on January 3.
They will stage the inaugural running of the Inter-Provincial Challenge, an event which will see canines from provinces throughout the country matched against each other over the distance of 545 metres.
The race will carry a stake of $6000 and will be open to greyhounds graded at either class two or class three.
Hopes are that nominations will be received from Auckland, Waikato, Taranaki, Wanganui, Manawatu, Wellington, Wairarapa, Canterbury and Otago-Southland with the handlers of those who make the final line-up wearing the colours worn by their respective NPC rugby teams.
Apart from the prize money which will go to the first three placegetters a bonus of $500, plus a trophy, will be forwarded onto the greyhound racing club operating in the province that the winner represents.
The January 3 meeting will also see trainers competing for two other trophies. One will go to the trainer who scores the most points at the meeting on the basis of five for a win, three for second and two for third. The second will be based on strike rate with trainers needing to have a minimum of four runners to be eligible
Plans are too for a wide variety of entertainment to be available for children on what is being promoted as a "a day out for the whole family"
Greyhound racing will also have a part to play in the Wairarapa Racing Club's meeting to be held at Tauherenikau on January 2.
The national body (Greyhound Racing New Zealand)will be involved in the sponsorship of a race to be held there and will also man an exhibition which will promote their sport . Another part of the promotional package will be the racing of three or four greyhounds down the straight at Tauherenikau, something seldom seen before at a gallops meeting.
For the Wairarapa GRC though their busy Christmas-New Year racing programme actually kicks off at Solway Showgrounds this Wednesday with the first day of their annual December meeting.
Ten races have been carded, starting at 4.05pm and finishing about three hours later.
Feature event there will be the Preview Hurdles which will feature the Current New Zealand Hurdler of the Year and Solway track holder Gone Troppo. He is one of three fine hurdlers that Palmerston Nnorth trainer Mike Boyd will parade, the others being exciting youngster Aranuijazz and Prince Zidane, who is part-owned by Solway caretaker Dave Amundsen.
Also in the line-up will be Chippewa Brave, who has claimed the scalp of Gone Troppo on the Masterton track in the past.
On the flat it will be the Ranchman's Petfood class two and three race over 545m which will attract the most attention. Wairarapa club president Owen Marron will be represented by two of the best chances in Clydebank and Prospirene and their main opposition could come from track specialist Upahut Rose and last start Hutt Park winner Truant
A full preview of Wednesday's meeting will be published in tomorrow's Wairarapa Times-Age.