Saturday dogs a rare treat

SANDOWN Greyhound Racing Club will this week host a rare Saturday night meeting.
Saturday night racing is normally held at The Meadows in Broadmeadows, but due to significant track works, the meeting has been transferred to Sandown.
“It has been many years since Sandown Park has raced on a Saturday night, so we’re looking forward to showcasing the venue in this timeslot,” said Mick Floyd, racing and media manager at Sandown Park.
“We’ve been able to put together an excellent card of racing, highlighted by a number of Group race winning greyhounds such as Arsonist, Don Chendo and Numero Uno Bale lining up in a free-for-all.
“There will be also be plenty of entertainment off the course, with activities for kids, footy on the big screens and drink promotions. It should be a lot of fun.”
The Saturday night meeting is the start of a busy time for Sandown Park, with the first Melbourne Cup Prelude Series to be run on Thursday 22 September, which marks the unofficial start of greyhound racing’s spring carnival.
“The best greyhounds in the country assemble for the Melbourne Cup Preludes, which serve as qualifiers for the heats on Thursday 10 November,” Floyd said.
“The Melbourne Cup final the following week is the richest greyhound race in Victoria.
“This year it is worth $200,000 to the winner … and is obviously the race every greyhound owner and trainer would like to win.”
Entry to all meetings at Sandown Park is free.
Gates open at 6pm on Saturday and the first race is at 7.20pm.