Townsville Greyhound Racing Club planning towards big 2021 Carnival

By Jordan Gerrans

The Townsville Greyhound Racing Club are aiming to take their 2021 Cup Carnival to a whole new level later this year.

On the back of a second greyhound meeting in Townsville being run each week over the last 12 months, the club are experiencing record numbers of local trainers, dogs, and interest in the code in north Queensland.

To capitalise on the boom of the greyhound industry in the northern city, Townsville Greyhound Racing Club President Gary Heath is aiming to again lift the Cup’s profile and significance in September.

“We have been a Group 3 for our Townsville Cup for the last five years and we are always looking to upgrade the race in terms of its class and prizemoney,” Heath said.

“Racing Queensland helped us for a couple of years to get it to a Group 3 level with some funds and hopefully we can get the ball rolling further this year and into the future.

“We are hoping to get it to a Group 2 level within the next three years.”

The 2021 Townsville Cup has been pushed back from their usual August timeslot, to instead be run in September of this year.

The club’s committee are hopeful the later start date will see a higher quality standard of greyhounds travel north from Brisbane to chase the prize money and status the NQ Cup race offers.

“We are looking to get the better dogs up here from Brisbane and that brings a better reputation for our club and track,” Heath said.

“The track is in really good standard at the minute, we have an excellent curator.

“We have got great staff at the club as well.”

Recently appointed Townsville Greyhound Racing Club Secretary Jackie Belford thinks trainers from across the border in New South Wales will make the trip to NQ for the Cup this year.

“We have had to juggle the Cup, we normally have it at the end of August but we are moving it to September to ensure we are getting the best dogs from down south,” Belford said.

“In the next two months, the phone will start ringing from all the southern trainers about finding a place to stay and where they will house their dogs when they come up for our Cup.

“We are expecting a massive carnival this year.”

In late August of last year, Hara’s Panda delivered breeder Tony Glover and trainer Mike Stephenson the Group 3 Townsville Cup, scoring by just under a length.