Wild night ahead for Wildcard contenders


There may be a anxious wait for the connections of several greyhounds in contention for the Crocmedia National Championships ‘Wildcard’ this Thursday night.

All six states will hold their finals on a greyhound racing extravaganza on Thursday night with the winner of each progressing to the National finals on Friday 24 August. Victoria will receive a second spot as the host state, with the eighth and final berth in the $105,000 finals going to the ‘Wildcard’.

The Wildcard is awarded to the highest ranked Greyhound Clubs Australia greyhound that contests its state final but doesn’t win (or run second in the Victorian case). Should that greyhound qualify via their state series, the Wildcard berth is passed to the next highest ranked greyhound and so on until the position is filled. It has added an intriguing element to the annual Championships since being added in 2009, with the National Distance Championship being taken out by the Wildcard (Jarvis Bale) in its first year.

With the fields for the state finals now confirmed, here’s how the Wildcard picture looks ahead of Thursday night’s greyhound racing showcase.

Crocmedia National Sprint Championship
Highest ranked sprinters to reach their state finals
1. Hasten Slowly (Vic)
2. Dyna Patty (Vic)
3. Poke The Bear (Vic)

Victoria is guaranteed three representatives in the Crocmedia National Sprint Championship with two automatic places and the three highest ranked state finalists. Hasten Slowly will don the ‘Big V’ at the Championship decider irrespective of where he finishes on Thursday night.

Should Hasten Slowly qualify by running first or second on Thursday night, Dyna Patty would inherit the Wildcard. If both Hasten Slowly and Dyna Patty fill the quinella, Poke The Bear will join them in the grand final.

Crocmedia National Distance Championship
Highest ranked stayers to reach their state finals
1. Rippin’ Sam (Vic)
2. Tornado Tears (Vic)
3. Quick Jagger (WA)
4. Ebby Ripper (NSW)
5. Jalapeno (Qld)
6. Moment To Jive (WA)

The Wildcard picture is a little more complicated for the stayers.

Rippin’ Sam will thrill greyhound racing fans in the Crocmedia National Distance Championship after storming into the Victorian final. If he runs first or second, the Wildcard moves to his litter mate Tornado Tears. If they run 1-2 (as they did in both the RSN Sandown Cup heat and final), the path to the Wildcard winds through the country as follows:

• If Tornado Tears and Rippin’ Sam run 1-2, Quick Jagger (WA) becomes the wild card
• If Quick Jagger wins the WA final, Ebby Ripper (NSW) becomes the wildcard
• If Ebby Ripper wins the NSW final, Jalepeno (Qld) becomes the wildcard
• If Jalepeno wins the Qld final, Moment To Jive (WA) becomes the wildcard

The Crocmedia National Championship State Finals will be run between 8pm and 10pm on Thursday night and will be showcased on Sky Racing 2 (channel 527 – open and free to all Foxtel subscribers), while on RSN927 Jason Adams will be providing updates live from Sandown Park.

Click here for the latest news from the Crocmedia National Championships.
Click here for the full Greyhound Clubs Australia rankings

Paw note: The Greyhound Clubs Australia rankings are based on points awarded for a greyhound’s performances in group race finals from 1 January 2018 to 31 July 2018

 

Rippin’ Sam comes from the clouds to win his heat of the Crocmedia National Distance Championships, becoming the first to to qualify for the Grand Final

 

 

Mick Floyd
About Mick Floyd - Mick is the Racing and Media Manager at Sandown Park and has 15 years of experience in the sport. He has a finely tuned talent for finding three legs of a quaddie. You can follow his ramblings on Twitter - @mickfloyd
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