Wednesday, June 17 is the biggest day in Taree Greyhound Club's history that stretches back more than 60 years.
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Taree will conduct a TAB meeting for the first time at the Kanangra Drive track. This will be a first for greyhound racing on the Mid North Coast.
Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW) board member Kevin Gordon confirmed this week that a limited number of spectators will be permitted into the track, although he said there will be strict regulations on numbers. Patrons will also have a temperature check before entering and have to supply a contact phone number.
Mr Gordon will be one of a number of high ranking GRNSW officials who will be on track on Wednesday. GRNSW chief executive officer Tony Mestrov is also expected.
The Taree club was granted the TAB meetings in January. Since then the club has been busy upgrading the track to comply with TAB racing standard.
This includes new kennelling, automatic starting, a new semaphore board and electronic timing. The club ran a non-TAB meeting on Wednesday June 3 - the first since March because of the COVID-19 lockdown, as a test for the new facilities.
Mr Gordon said that some races on Wednesday's 11 race program will carry first prizemoney of $1700. First prize for a non-TAB meeting is $350.
He said GRNSW's new grading policy has been put in place to keep dogs in their region. One of the advantages is to help keep prizemoney in the region and this will be a boon for local trainers and owners.
"There will millions of dollars worth of prizemoney staying in this region,'' he said.
"I know the trainers in the local area are really excited. This is a big thing.''
Mr Gordon said Taree would conduct 26 TAB meetings a year, all on Wednesday afternoons. He confirmed that Wauchope would also be running TAB meetings but not until upgrades have been completed on the track.
"There's considerable money to be spent at Wauchope to get it to the standard to hold a TAB meeting,'' he said.
"That could be six to 12 months before Wauchope is ready.''
Mr Gordon said the Wauchope TAB meetings would be in addition to those run at Taree, explaining that because Taree is a grass track it would have to be rested during the year. When this happens, Wauchope will run meetings.
Taree's next meeting will be held on Wednesday July 8. Mr Gordon understands there'll be a further relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions by then, ensuring more patrons would be allowed on-course.
