Longwood Coursing Club is set to commence the first of the two week Sylvester Doyle Puppy Championship Series on Sunday June 11.

54 greyhound puppies whelped on or after May 1, 2015 will line up in one of the biggest events on the coursing calendar for young greyhounds.

National Coursing Association President Peter Craig said he is delighted with the numbers for the Sylvester Doyle Puppy Championship.

“To have 54 nominations is a real positive and there is quite a good spread of trainers as well.”

“The Sylvester Doyle Puppy Championship along with the Derby and Oaks (both run in July) are open to greyhounds born on or after March 2015. First prize in all these classics is over $3,000 and greyhounds don’t go up in grade in their first season of coursing which is another bonus.”

On Sunday, the Sylvester Doyle Puppy Championship will start with 54 greyhounds, with seven winners moving onto the second week of the Sylvester Doyle Puppy Championship the following Sunday.

The overall winner of the Sylvester Doyle Puppy Championship will take home $3695, the runner up $1250 and the defeated semi finalist $295.

Successful greyhounds in the Puppy Championship will course six times over a two week period.

The Puppy Championship is named after Greyhound Racing Victoria’s Hall Of Fame Pioneer Sylvester Doyle who was one of the main players in arguably the most pivotal movement in Victorian greyhound racing (the cessation of proprietary racing in 1958).

Doyles involvement in greyhound racing spanned over 50 years and included Executive and President positions for the National Coursing Association (NCA).

Silvester Doyle passed away in February 1992, less than two weeks shy of his 85th birthday. However, the legacies of the likes of Doyle have helped Victorian greyhound racing grow into the multi-million dollar industry it is today.

The NCA named the Puppy Championship in his honour to ensure his name and his work is forever remembered.