Springston Hotel appreciated by greyhound industry

Pictured: Jo Chapman presenting the 2023 Springston Hotel New Zealand Cup trophy to Ella Cole. Photo credit: Dave Robbie

Sponsorship is a valued and extremely vital component for all racing and sporting bodies. Therefore, the sponsorship provided to the Christchurch Greyhound Racing Club by businesses like the Springston Hotel is very much appreciated.

The generous sponsorship provided by proprietors Neville and Jo Chapman extends over a long period, with the establishment now sponsoring the Springston Hotel New Zealand Cup.

The couple also have raced greyhounds for many years, as Jo explains.

“We have been running the hotel for about 25 years, and we started racing greyhounds around 23 years ago with Ricky and Jean Alfield.

“We took a break from racing, then we came back into racing greyhounds around 14 years ago with greyhounds trained by Steve and Bonnie Evans.

“Pedro Force and Opawa Cheviot were a couple of greyhounds we had success with. Our involvement with the Goldstar team has been tremendous.

“We thoroughly enjoy the industry and love the greyhounds. Hopefully, we’ll still be involved for many, many years to come.”

Friday evenings see a gathering of greyhound industry participants at the idyllic country pub, located around 20 minutes south of Christchurch.

“Steve and Bonnie come out, along with Andy and Janine McCook. Dan Roberts and others are often here. Our patrons are really good people who really enjoy watching their racing here. We are one big family here,” enthused Jo.

Support from industry people ensured that a TAB pod remained at the venue.

“People like to have their tickets in their hands while watching the racing.”

The long-time sponsorship support that Neville and Jo Chapman provides the Christchurch GRC with is all self-funded.

“We do it all out of our pockets for the love of the sport,” advised Jo.

Steve Evans looks forward to his Friday visits, saying, “The Springston is a country pub that has a wonderful environment. It’s a great atmosphere there with greyhound and other racing people getting together socially. They also serve top meals.

“Neville and Jo have been very, very loyal to our kennels since day dot, when we started training at Leeston. Opawa Cheviot was a very good staying dog that they enjoyed deserved success with.

“They are very generous with their sponsorship and have been very good for racing. They always take a large team of hotel patrons to Addington for Trackside dining. They are bloody good people,” expressed Evans.

Obviously, the Springston Hotel is a must visit for all visiting greyhound and racing people!

By Peter Fenemor