The 10 Best Moments Of 2024

2024 produced some wonderful moments for our sport. Here are the top 10 in what was another memorable year of chasing around NSW...

Dalwhinnie provided chasing fans with arguably the greatest moment of 2024 when he roared around Wentworth Park in 29.03 on October 24 to set a new track record.

Shakey Jakey’s long-standing time of 29.07, a mark many thought would never be broken, was smashed to smithereens and Bill Butler was the man to produce the next big thing in greyhound racing.

The prodigiously talented youngster had emerged through the Ladbrokes Million Dollar Chase Maiden series just two weeks earlier and although he was impressive in his heat, a fall in the final meant we didn’t get to see the best of the son of Aston Dee Bee until start number three.

Dalwhinnie has since run second in the Group 3 Rising Stars series at Albion Park and is looming as a dog to watch in 2025.

Blue Kermaro caused one of the biggest boilovers in Million Dollar Chase history to claim the 2024 edition of the race for Josh Formosa.

Not since Handsome Prince won at $21 in 2020 had a greyhound saluted at such a juicy price, with the Victorian runner making it three straight titles for interstate greyhounds in our biggest race.

It was a grand welcome home party of sorts for a greyhound who was bred and debuted in NSW back in January under the tutelage of Gary Stewart. The talented-type qualifying for the Robert Smith Memorial Maiden final at The Gardens before being sold and finding himself in the kennels of Formosa.

Lifelong mate Ben Peart took ownership of the greyhound and he was on track with his family to celebrate the win of a lifetime on October 16.

It was a bittersweet year for straight track champion, Shall Not.

The winner of 48 career races was almost unbeatable up his favoured Richmond Straight, with a remarkable run of 16 straight wins, which began in November last year, finally broken on June 1.

Trained by Darren Sultana, the son of Barcia Bale x Hilary had his final race in the Straight of Origin at Capalaba on June 16 where he finished fourth behind That’s Hot.

Sadly, Shall Not’s joint owner and avid greyhound enthusiast, Terry Hill, passed away suddenly on April 24 from a heart attack while holidaying overseas. Shall Not raced three days after the tragedy and saluted by more than six lengths in Hill’s honour.

Mackenna | Ladbrokes Golden Easter Egg Win

It feels like an eternity ago but how good was Mackenna when winning the Ladbrokes Golden Easter Egg series back in April.

The fledging superstar had been racing under the guidance of Paul Abela in Victoria earlier in the year but returned to NSW and was based in the kennel of Michelle Sultana and Darryl Thomas for the $350,000 series

She smashed them to bits in a dominant 29.20 heat victory (five length margin) before repeating the dose in the semi-finals in a time of 29.28 (six lengths). Then on April 20, she produced another special performance (29.33) to claim an inaugural Group 1 title.

It was a memorable occasion for Sultana, Thomas and Abela, with owner Giorgio Alvaro also over the moon, with the win thrusting her into the conversation for best race bitch in the country. 

We’re used to seeing the ‘Good Odds’ moniker go around in big races and popular duo Frank and Tracey Hurst produced another memorable night on track in 2024 when Good Odds Cobber claimed the Ladbrokes Dapto Megastar.

He had to jump from an unsuitable wide alley in the final, but it didn’t stop ‘Cobber’ from piercing his way through the field at the first bend. Once he found the rail, he motored up the inside of early leader Harmony Fire and always looked the winner down the back as he powered away to salute by nearly five lengths.

It capped a significant 12-month period for the son of Good Odds Meghan, with his breakthrough Group 1 triumph in the Megastar following victories in the Group 3 New Sensation and Group 2 Gosford Cup earlier in the year.

Ever the showman, Frank Hurst delivered a victory dance to the fans on arrival back at the winning post as ‘Cobber’ delivered the camp their second Megastar title after Good Odds Harada won the race back in 2019.  

As far as bush domination goes, you needn’t look further than Gunnedah trainer Jamie Bush.

Bush burst onto the scene in 2023, training 98 winners across the season to easily claim the Gunnedah Trainer’s Premiership. In 2024, he continued that purple patch of form and at time of writing, had won a kennel record 115 races across the calendar year to enhance his status as one of the best trainer’s across the NSW countryside.

His crowning glory came on July 31 when he took home six of the 12 races on the Gunnedah card, the feat even more remarkable considering he only had nine dogs in to race. Sunny Blue, Jock, Franky Bear, Mick The Master, Buddy Mac and Joe Cargo all victorious on a day Bush and his team will never forget.

The staying performance of the year belongs to Queenslander Valpolicella. 

The Tony Zammit-trained and Sandro Bechini-owned star was at her brilliant best in May when claiming the third ever edition of ‘The 715’ at The Gardens.   

The classy race bitch, named after a red wine variety, won the $500,000 feature by a decisive 6.50 lengths over group-level performers Ritza Piper and Canya Amy, and broke the track record in the process by running 41.23.

The nature of the win even more impressive considering Valpolicella flew out from Box 1 and led the race from go to woah instead of her normal racing trait of emerging late in the staying contest.

From primary school favourite to Country Classic winner, that was the journey for Bella Una in 2024.

Owner and schoolteacher Mick Sheather couldn’t believe his eyes as he and his family were trackside at Dubbo in March to watch Bella Una pull off the biggest victory of her career.

His classy greyhound, trained by Jack Smith, speared out from an unsuitable wide draw in the $125,000 final and gave nothing else a chance on a wet and soggy Saturday in the Central West, claiming the final by 2.5 lengths from the fast-finishing kennelmate Palawa King.

The victory taking ‘Bella’s’ career earnings to over $200,000 as she etched her name alongside Zipping Kyrgios and Showman Jack as the only other winners of the race.

By Easter of 2024, Palawa King had confirmed his status as one of the best stayers in the country.

Already a dual Group 1 winner before the Association Cup, the only ‘hole’ in his resume was Group-level success at Wentworth Park. 

He swiftly put that to bed in a dominant performance in the April 20 final, beating home Canya Amy by two lengths to clam the $75,000 classic. 

Later in 2024, he went on to win dual Group 3 events in Brisbane during the Winter carnival that pushed him into the million-dollar earners club and cemented his status as a superstar of the staying caper.

Mid North Coast Greyhound Racing Club Opening 

Amidst much fanfare and excitement, the brand new, state-of-the-art Mid North Coast Greyhound Racing Club officially opened on September 21.

More than 400 spectators piled into the multi-million-dollar venture to witness the ribbon cutting ceremony and enjoy the club’s third race day program since its soft launch on September 14.

The centre of excellence, which saw the Taree, Wauchope and Kempsey clubs amalgamate under one banner, includes smoother engineered turns for safer racing, a new slipping track, upgraded amenities, automated gates as well as several other flood-resistant and safety enhanced features.