The annual Bags Track Championship
has been unveiled, with a new format for its big-money event. Total prize-money,
including travel allowances and trophies, will be in the region of £160,000, up
from the £150,000 on offer in the inaugural event.
This year’s renewal will involve
six groups of three tracks that will race each other on a regional basis to
determine a qualifier that goes forward to the Grand Finals on Sunday, December
23 at Perry Barr.
The inclusion of Peterborough in
this year’s competition has helped make the numbers and geography fit better –
generally reducing the distances to be travelled at the qualifying stage.
As was the case with the first
event, staging the finals two days before Christmas offers an unusually high
profile as there is no UK horseracing.
This year it falls on a Sunday, so
Bags had the choice of four venues racing that day, opting for Perry Barr due
to its central location and good motorway connections.
Each of the tracks will stage one
qualifying match consisting of six races, with teams supplying two runners per
race. There will be a sprint, standard (for dogs, bitches, pups and
unrestricted) plus a stayers. If a track does not stage sprints an additional
standard race will be held.
Similar to last year, competing
greyhounds must have had at least five graded races at their home track, and be
open-race maidens before the start of the event at Belle Vue on Wednesday
October 31, when the Manchester track hosts Nottingham and Sheffield.
Different to last year, however, is
runners are eligible if they win an open after the event kicks off.
The last qualifier before the final
will take place at Romford on Thursday, December 6 when Peterborough and
Yarmouth are the visitors.
Graham McLennan, Bags general
manager, said: “It will be interesting to see how the dynamics of the new
groups work. Also, team managers have six weeks to think about it, and discuss
with trainers whether to risk a progressive greyhound winning an open before
the championship starts – rendering it ineligible.”
Reigning champions Monmore will
begin the defence of the title at Perry Barr on Tuesday, November 6 when Hall
Green will be the third participating track. The other three groups comprise
Kinsley, Newcastle and Sunderland; Oxford, Poole and Swindon; and Crayford,
Hove and Sittingbourne.
At the end of the group stage, the
highest points-scoring team in each will advance to the championship final.
This year’s finals will comprise ten events, rather than last year’s six, with
the six tracks providing one runner in each race.
This will involve two staying
races, and two each of the standard unrestricted, dogs and bitches, plus one
sprint and one standard puppy race.
The qualifiers have been spread as
evenly as possible over the period, which is slightly longer than last year, to
allow for recovery time between races. There will be only one be one qualifying
event on any given day.
Points are scored 10, 7, 5, 3, 2
and 1 in order of finish. Heats are worth £200, runner-up £100, others £75; the
final race winners get £500 each, second £200, others £100.
Winning group teams receive £1,500,
runner-up £750, third £500, while the overall winning team picks up £6,000 and
trophy, second £4,000, others £2,500.
Team purses are split at the
discretion of each team manager. A travelling allowance of £1,000 per team is
being made.
In addition the overall winner will
see £12,500 added to Bags prize-money at the track in the following period,
with £5,000 to the runner-up.
Groups (with
dates of matches):
A - Belle Vue (Oct 31), Nottingham
(Nov 13) and Sheffield (Nov 29).
B - Kinsley (Nov 4), Sunderland
(Nov 20) and Newcastle (Dec 5).
C - Perry Barr (Nov 6), Hall Green
(Dec 3) and Monmore (Nov 23).
D - Swindon (Nov 2), Oxford (Nov
16) and Poole (Dec 1).
E - Sittingbourne (Nov 1), Crayford
(Nov 15) and Hove (Nov 28).
F - Peterborough (Nov 9), Yarmouth
(Nov 21) and Romford (Dec 6).
Grand final 23rd December at Perry Barr
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