Master McGraw claims Chief Havoc Cup

MASTER McGraw burst from the starting box in emphatic fashion at Gunnedah Greyhound Racing Club’s Chief Havoc Cup meeting.

The Raymond ‘Jack’ Smith-trained greyhound, emerging from box seven, took the lead early on in the club’s most sought-after race meeting of the year.

Tenacious Talker and My Monroe closely followed early on in what was the eighth race of the night.

Spring Witness made a late burst to outrun Tenacious Talker and My Monroe.

The late surge of Spring Witness saw it claim second place ahead of third-placed Tenacious Talker.

Master McGraw claimed the cup with a bold finish.

It was a hotly-contested night across the 12 races with the Chief Havoc Cup the feature of the evening.

NSW Greyhound Breeders Owners and Trainers Association (GBOTA) chair Geoff Rose praised the potential of Master McGraw, which marked its 16th start in Gunnedah.

“It was a great evening. The kids really enjoyed themselves,” Rose said.

The family friendly atmosphere of Gunnedah racing was again on show with children walking alongside trainers on the track.

Rose said attendance was strong with numbers as good as last year if not better.

This year’s cup meeting was a listed race and next year will be a Group 2 meeting.

“The club has 76 race dates for the next financial year,” Rose said, indicating interest in greyhound racing continues to grow.

Gunnedah will host 66 meetings this financial year and continues to be a leading club in the state.

Armatree Pearler, trained by Graham Pickering, claimed the Feral Franky Maiden. Pictured, Jack Smith (sponsor), Damian Harris (GBOTA) and Graham Pickering (trainer).

Rose said when he took on his role in 1990, the cup had a first prize of $2,000.

That has now grown to $40,000 at the recent meeting.

The prize money paid out in a year when Rose started was close to $200,000 and now is $2m.

Reflecting on the Chief Havoc Cup meeting, Rose hopes the prize money continues to grow.

“We were very pleased it had a big crowd,” he said.

Batman Cargo, trained by Tyler Fleming, claimed the first race of the night, the Welcome to Gunnedah Maiden.

Armatree Pesto, trained by Graham Pickering, took home the spoils in race two.

The Dana Ivers-trained Zipping Desire took out first place in race three.

Pickering returned to the winners’ circle in race four with Armatree Pearler claiming first place in the Feral Franky Maiden.

Elsa Above, trained by Ricky Brewer, went on to win race five while the Rebecca Baker-trained Karinya Tom Tom had a resounding win in race six. The Joseph McFadyen-trained Done Dealing claimed first place in round seven prior to the coveted Chief Havoc Cup race.

Pickering claimed his third first place on the night when Swift Bree took out race nine.

Cheryl Blue, trained by Matthew Bryant, took out race 10 in a tight finish. Walk the Talk, trained by Scott Farley, was first in race 11 while Payne Cargo, trained by Jamie Bush, rounded out the night with a strong finish in race 12.