The Group 1 Harrison-Dawson Final (515m) will be run on Thursday night at Sandown Park. Here’s a few things you might not know about this wonderful race.
1. Five of the 11 Harrison-Dawson winners have exited from Box 1, with Vivatar to wear the red vest in the 2020 final.
2. Four favourites have won the race – the shortest-priced being Fernando Bale ($1.04) in 2015. The former champion sprinter also holds the race record (29.14sec).
3. Andrea Dailly (Fernando Bale) and Correy Grenfell (Orson Allen) will both be hoping to become the first trainer to prepare two Harrison-Dawson winners on Thursday night.
4. Champion sire Barcia Bale has three finalists in 2020 – Vivatar, Simon Told Helen and Mepunga Pegasus, while Where’s Pedro is the only stud dog with multiple winners – General Destini and Don Chendo.
And for the history buffs…
5. The Harrison-Dawson is named in honour of former Sandown GRC Chairmen, the late Henry Harrison and Geoff Dawson.
6. The event was first run in 2009 as ‘The Dawson’, a Group 3 series open to both sexes.
7. In 2012 the race was re-named the Harrison-Dawson, was elevated to Group 2 status and was restricted to male greyhounds only. It became a Group 1 event in 2015.
Fernando Bale charges into the first turn with a scintillating 4.97sec first split on his way to victory in the 2015 Harrison-Dawson Final. Photo: Clint Anderson.
HARRISON-DAWSON HONOUR ROLL
2009 Dyna Forte
2010 Flash Of Light
2011 Don Chendo
2012 General Destini
2013 Clone Your Own
2014 Awesome Project
2015 Fernando Bale
2016 Dundee Osprey
2017 Black Mumbo
2018 My Redeemer
2019 Orson Allen
