Waikato Classic Day Upgrade to Premier Status
The Cambridge meeting on New Year's Eve has been upgraded to Premier status.
This will see $3,500 added to the minimum stake for all races on the support card which will see all dogs finishing 5th through 8th receiving $100.
Already a high profile meeting, with heats for five finals being run on Christmas Eve, it was always next-in-line to become a Premier meeting.
Also note the meeting is now a Day meeting and will start shortly after midday. Anyone on holiday in the North will have the opportunity to take in the Premier Greyhounds and then travel to Alexandra Park for the Auckland Trotting Cup twilight meeting.
| Stake | Dist. | Grade | Race |
| $7,000 | 457m | C0f | Mighty Waikato Maiden Series Final |
| $6,005 | 457m | C1 | C1 Feature |
| $9,000 | 747m | C2df | Thrilling Brat Distance Final |
| $6,825 | 457m | C3 | C3 Feature |
| $5,535 | 375m | C3 | C3 Sprint Feature |
| $7,530 | 457m | C4 | C4 Feature |
| $5,890 | 375m | C4 | C4 Sprint Feature |
| $8,235 | 457m | C5 | C5 Feature |
| $6,360 | 375m | C5 | C5 Sprint Feature |
| $8,000 | 375m | C5f | Denis Cole Memorial Sprint Final |
| $10,000 | 457m | C5f | Farmlands Virkon Waikato Cup Final |
| $20,000 | 457m | R/Af | Group 2 Farmlands CopRice Waikato Classic Final |
| Reserve Race | |||
| $5,185 | 375m | C2 | Reserve Race C2 Sprint Feature |
Kennel Cough in General Dog Population in the CD
Anecdotal reports from vets in the CD suggest a significant outbreak of kennel cough across pet dogs in the Central Districts, particularly around Palmerston North.
It may be a new strain as two fully vaccinated Greyhound kennels have caught the highly contagious bug. Tests from some of these Greyhounds have been sent to Australia for analysis.
Avoid any dog parks or contact with dogs outside of raceday.
If you suspect that your Greyhound(s) or any dog in your care may have kennel cough you are bound by section 9.7 of the Welfare Standards (the Welfare Code) to notify GRNZ.
Stand Downs with Solo Trials
At a recent conference of Ontrack Vets, the vets discussed diagnosis of injuries likely to require stand downs of more than a month. Rather than a wholesale "err on the side of safety" and imposing longer standowns, adding the requirement for a Solo Trial in front of stewards prior to resuming racing, provides the scope for shorter stand downs but still protecting the greyhound's welfare.
With Barking Muzzles Gone, Any Tips on Dealing with Barkers?
If you have any tips for dealing with barking dogs please feel free to pass them on to GRNZ and we will share via the website.
Remember that an MPI or SPCA inspection of your kennel could result in enforcement action being taken if Barking Muzzles are used on unsupervised dogs.
