THE racing fraternity is unfortunately renowned for focusing on the negatives while ignoring the constructive things club administrators do to ensure Tasmanian racing is seen in a positive and professional light.
Sometimes the criticism is deserved but when a club committee goes the extra yard and ends up receiving accolades from some of the most influential racing administrators in Australia, the story needs to be told.
Last week the Hobart Greyhound Racing Club played host to the National Sprint and Distance Championships as well as organizing a full week of events for the annual Australian Greyhound Racing Association (AGRA) conference.
The hard working HGRC committee ensured all went to plan but given the comments of some of the AGRA hierarchy on the final night at Tattersall’s Park last Saturday it would appear the 2012 conference and National series will be remembered as possibly the best ever.
Despite the feature races being run in torrential rain and gale-force winds they were won by the best dogs in their respective categories.
Western Australia’s star stayer Miata emerged triumphant in the Distance Championship and the most promising chaser in Australia, Fabregas, won the Sprint Championship.
It was the first time the Hobart club had hosted both National championships on the same night and for them to be won by such notable greyhounds was icing on the cake.
The trainers of the winners both lauded the efforts of the race organisers and their sentiments were reiterated by every other interstate trainer.
For many years Tasmania has been considered a backwater when it comes to staging national racing events.
But through the efforts of HGRC chairperson Denise Fysh and her two key offsiders Monica Lockley and Michelle Collis, along with committee members Katrina Gregory, Gaylene Townsend, John Cameron, Stephen Lockley and Brendan Pursell that stigma may have been removed.
Tasracing also contributed to the success with its strategic interstate media campaign aimed at ensuring Tasmania was exposed to a truly national market.
This was evidenced by feature stories and a colour lift-out guide in the codes print bible, the Melbourne-based National Greyhound Form as well as full race night coverage on Sky Channel.
Subsequent features on Sky’s magazine show The Catching Pen also has helped lift the profile of Tasmanian greyhound racing.
The Mercury also delivered saturation coverage of the event.
The Launceston club will host the next National Championships in 2018.