Sale kicked off the first leg of the Gippsland Carnvial with six heats of the Sale Cup and three heats of the new Gippsland Sprint.

A sprint and distance series has been created to link all four legs with a Gippsland Champion Sprinter and Gippsland Champion Stayer, crowned at the end of the carnival in March.

Greyhounds earn points by achieving top four finishes in heats and finals in any of eight specified events (refer to table below), for a chance to share $35,000 in bonus prize money.

Jesaulenko opened up the Gippsland Sprint with an impressive 24.592sec win over Coolan Kind who also made it through to the Launch of the Gippsland Sprint.

Aussie Infrared and Your Shout Punk finished first and second in the following heat, Steel The Best and Pantera Nera secured their rugs in the third and final heat.

To The Galo’s and Aston Bolero recorded the two fastest thirds to make it through to the $10,000-to-the-winner feature, to be run on Boxing Day.

Gippsland Carnival Sprint Launch Box Draw

Dundee Osprey (pictured – box one) is heading into the Group One Sale Cup as the TAB’s favourite in his second start over the 650 metre distance.

But the Geoff Scott-Smith trained talent does have group experience on his side, with nine group race appearances under his belt – two of which saw him claim victories in the $100,000-to-the-winner Harrison-Dawson at Sandown and the $150,000 Topgun at The Meadows.

Dundee Osprey’s heat win saw him work hard for the lead from box one, but pull away to win by 3.80 lengths over Aeroplane Bobby in a best of the night time of 37.23sec.

2016/17 Gippsland Carnival Sructure 

Points system relating to bonus prize money