The biggest night of provincial greyhound racing the world has seen will take place at Bendigo tonight, with 12 feature finals to conclude the inaugural Pink Diamond series.
We’re calling it the greatest show on earth – which may be a little biased – but it’s hard to ignore the noise with more than $600,000 in prize money and breeder bonuses up for grabs exclusively to Victorian-bred greyhounds.
And, following heats at four provincial tracks last week, all roads lead to Bendigo, with highlights on the card including Rebellious (6 from 7), Shima Classic v Ferdinand Boy, new kid on the staying block Five Star, Koblenz (8 straight) v Aston Fastnet & Shima Shine v Aston Rupee v Catch The Thief.
Enjoy comprehensive coverage of this showcase night on Sky Racing Active or via The Watchdog app, regular updates on RSN Racing & Sport with Trent Langskaill and behind-the-scenes action on Twitter with @WatchDogRacing
And after yet another profitable day for the Daily Mail yesterday, be sure to scroll down for ? The Watchdog’s $10 spend…
? MUST-WATCH RACE: Pink Diamond Champion Sprinter Final
SHIMA SHINE ? ASTON RUPEE ? CATCH THE THIEF ? GYPSY YANKEE
? Bendigo ? Race 8 ? 500m ⏱ 9:29pm
Form ? https://watchdog.grv.org.au/meeting/662705767/race/8
The Watchdog says ?: It’s inaugural running of the Pink Diamond Finals, and in the Champion Sprinter event and we could not have asked for a better line-up. In recent weeks, the champ SHIMA SHINE (1) showed he is back to his brilliant best with a scintillating 29.00sec Sandown Park win and he then qualified for this race with a gutsy 25.16sec Ballarat win. He is the nation’s premier sprinter; however the box draw has not done him any favours and he cannot afford to make any mistakes at box rise. ASTON RUPEE (2) is the new kid on the block and has taken the mantle as the fastest chaser on the planet. He has taken all before him of late, starting with his sub 29 seconds trial at Sandown Park. He then captured the Speed Star Final and sharpened up for this race with a blinding 25.38sec heat win at Warragul. There is no doubting he has the talent, however with ‘Shima’ looking to move off the track, he may have a bumping dual in the initial stages and that may prove costly. CATCH THE THIEF (3) rounds out the ‘big three’ and he too comes into this in red hot form. He has been lighting up Geelong in recent weeks and he is just as talented as the inside two runners, however his box manners have been haphazard in recent times and with the abundance of pace drawn outside, he may get crowded soon after box rise. This really is such an intriguing final, and I am expecting there to be a bit of a boilover, GYPSY YANKEE (5), TINKER CRAIG (6) and DREAM WIZARD (7) are all going to come across hard and fast and they may be able to break away from the favourites and fight out the finish. Cannot wait for this race to unfold and it could be the start of a highly prestigious event in the future.
Selections: 5 – 6 – 7 – 3
