Two heats for New Zealand’s most recognised greyhound race, the SENZ Duke of Edinburgh Silver Collar, take place at Manukau Sports Bowl on Sunday.
The prestige of winning the $80,000 feature has regularly drawn greyhounds from across the Tasman, like 2017 & 2018 winner Ring the Bell, but this yearthe Kiwi-breds have a clear numerical advantage.
Three of the just four Aussie-bred contestants line up in the first heat, race 7 on Sunday. Included among them is Chief Dribble, the early favourite for the Collar Final on June 9. Chief Dribble will be having his first attempt over the 779m journey at Manukau and he and fellow import Spread the Load are expected to set the early pace on Sunday – it remains to be seen if they can hold on.
Up against them is Boom Lateral, the greyhound sought out by Ring the Bell’s former trainer Gerry O’Keefe to make the trip to NZ especially for this year’s collar.
“I picked him out as a ready-made Silver Collar dog. His Aussie staying efforts were good enough to put him right into the standard required to race in the Silver Collar. I believe he will be awfully hard to beat throughout the series,” enthused O’Keefe.
Chasing after them will be the up-and-coming Canterbury pair Know Defence and Know Hurry. The latter lowered the colours of Chief Dribble at her latest start and Know Defence is also a last start distance winner.
The second heat, race eight, sees the lone Aussie-bred Trenzalore take on seven locals including the staying “find” of the season Grande Vue Ace. Named after his local golf course in Geraldine, South Canterbury, her breeder and trainer Bob Pringle has been laid up with a broken leg, but he will feel no pain if GVA can claim her place in the final.
GVA is the only 779m winner in her heat however Opawa Gina was good enough to make the final last year and has drawn perfectly in Box two.
“She’s racing solidly and her draw should see her getting the rail early from where she should race well,” confirmed co-trainer Dave Fahey.
The best story in the heat belongs to Whanganui breeder/trainer Mark Goodier and his greyhound Reckless Eric. Goodier campaigned Reckless Eric’s mother Bigtime Chloe in the 2019 Silver Collar and she rocked punters by winning her heat at odds of $76.90.
