With 12 feature finals to be held on one exciting night of racing at Bendigo on Friday 18 June, the Pink Diamond series is different to any other greyhound racing event ever run before in Victoria.
Troy Harley of the Bendigo Greyhound Racing Association answers some key questions ahead of this inaugural series.
Q. When does the 2021 Pink Diamond series start?
TROY HARLEY: The series commences with heats of the three-week maiden series at Geelong and Warragul on June 4, followed by further maiden heats at Ballarat (June 5) and Shepparton (June 7). The other 10 remaining events commence with heats at Warragul (June 10), Ballarat (June 10), Shepparton (June 11) and Geelong (June 11).
Q. What makes it such a unique concept?
TH: Having a series of events conducted on different tracks for a variety of different categories and distances makes it unique, as does the increased focus on rewarding the breeders of the greyhounds throughout the series.
Q. What types of greyhounds can race in the Pink Diamond series?
TH: The Pink Diamond series is restricted to VicBred Greyhounds in multiple categories. It will comprise two events for maidens – one for short course greyhounds and one for the sprinters, three open class or special events including a distance series, as well as a veterans series, two age-restricted series, two rank limit series, an up-and-coming stayers series and one for female greyhounds only.
“The Pink Diamond will comprise two events for maidens – one for short course greyhounds and one for the sprinters, three open class or special events including a distance series, as well as a veterans series, two age-restricted series, two rank limit series, an up-and-coming stayers series and one for female greyhounds only.”
Q. Do the breeder bonuses apply even if the breeder no longer owns the dog?
TH: Absolutely. The bonus is for the breeder regardless of who the owner is. Of course, for owners to be able to buy greyhounds the breeder needs to breed and sell those greyhounds, so the bonus is a reward for providing that service to the industry and an ongoing incentive to continue to reinvest and breed in Victoria.
Q. Will the Pink Diamond be held again in 2022?
TH: Most certainly. The inaugural finals are being held in Bendigo with the finals night to be rotated each year. It is planned on finals night to announce which club will be conducting the 2022 finals series with Bendigo then slotting into the heat and semi-finals venue position for the next few years.
Q. What does the ‘pink rug’ campaign have to do with the Pink Diamond series?
TH: The ‘pink rug’ campaign is completely independent of the Pink Diamond series, but is designed to create awareness about the Pink Diamond. Read more on the ‘pink rug’ campaign HERE
Q. Is anything special happening on course at Bendigo at the finals night on Friday 18 June?
TH: Plans are being finalised as this goes to print for the trainers, owners and breeders involved in all 12 finals to be looked after on the night, and thanked for their participation, investment and achievements. Further details will be provided in the coming weeks.
Q. How can people follow the action from home?
TH: There’ll be a comprehensive broadcast of Pink Diamond Finals night (June 18) on Sky Racing Active which will be streamed via The Watchdog app, while there’ll also be live Twitter coverage on @WatchdogRacing and extensive radio coverage across various networks.
2021 PINK DIAMOND – Key dates
Friday 4 June: Maiden Heats – Warragul & Geelong
Saturday 5 June: Maiden Heats – Ballarat
Monday 7 June: Maiden Heats – Shepparton
Thursday 10 June: Maiden Semis | Heats for all other events – Warragul & Ballarat
Friday 11 June: Maiden Semis | Heats for all other events – Shepparton & Geelong
Friday 18 June: 12 Feature Finals – Bendigo
Prize money & Breeder Bonuses
for the 12 PINK DIAMOND Finals
CLICK ON TABLE TO ENLARGE
Click HERE for full conditions.
ABOVE: A must-watch video to help trainers decide which of the 12 x VicBred Pink Diamond events they should nominate their greyhounds for.
12 feature finals at Bendigo | Friday night 18 June | various ages & ability
numerous distances | $830K in prize money & breeder bonuses | VicBred dogs only
