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The $200,000 Group 1 Paws of Thunder carnival kicks of Saturday night at Sydney’s city racetrack Wentworth Park, with eight heat events. The final will be run Saturday 17 January which will combine the best runners from these events.
It’s one of the more popular events on the greyhound calendar and is well-attended by city residents, but realistically you’d be hard pressed to find many punters outside the attendees who could give a good run down on how one might select a greyhound winner.
Fortunately the code’s regulator, Greyhound Racing New South Wales (GRNSW), has developed an app that is possibly the best race guide app of the three racing codes. The app, simply called thedogs (one word), is free to download and I use it a lot (click here to get it for iOS, or here for Android).
It includes a speed map for each race that predicts where the greyhounds are likely to be positioned after the first 100 metres or so. The start is one of the most important factors to assess in greyhound racing because a good start can mean a greyhound will avoid a squeeze. Slow starters and fast finishes can also avoid a traffic jam if the race has plenty of early speed in it.
For example, let us assume the speed map indicates the number one (the red rug) has plenty of early speed on top of the 2 and 3, then that’s clearly going to mitigate a lot of early risk given the #1 runner also does not have to worry about ‘crossing over’ to the bunny. The same applies for the so-called squeeze boxes 5 and 6. If the greyhound has early speed, then it can avoid a traffic jam at the start.
On the subject of starts, you can review race replays, and each runner’s recent performances on the app as well. I use this a lot as the racebook does not tell me whether the runner was checked or not during the start or during the race, and I simply don’t have the time to study steward reports for every runner.
Looking at the recent race times for each runner, approximately one-tenth of a second equates to two greyhound lengths. Therefore, a best running time at Wentworth Park of 30.10 seconds does not really stack up as well against a greyhound that has run 29.90.
The app also provides a race review (slide the screen across to the left on the app), which will usually mention if any of these greyhounds are ‘wideys’ (likes to race wide and avoid the other greyhounds) or a ‘railer’ (hugs the rail, which is of course the quickest route to the finish post). Watch for greyhounds that rail and are boxed outside wide runners, as chances are they’ll collide at the start.
Other information is important such as the trainer’s record and first-time starters at the given track (I usually avoid them), but overall the variables and inputs that influence a race start to shrink. Unlike the horses there is no need to check track conditions, weather, the jockey, whether the rail is out or if it’s a full moon! And note that greyhounds usually run faster in the rain just like you running along the beach; the dry sand slows you down while the sand on the edge of the water speeds you up.
Other minor considerations might include whether your selection is a bitch (female) and if two dogs (male) are placed either side of it at the starting boxes. Dogs are bigger than bitches (about 5 kilograms) and can therefore crowd her style at the start if they are level starters.
If the race book says ‘moody type’ and the greyhound is in a late race and is boxed in an odd number box, discount slightly as odd numbers are loaded into the boxes first and then evens thereafter. Believe it or not this does make a difference for some greyhound runners.
Weight does not really come into my calculations as a greyhound’s weight is not allowed to vary to any great extent between races.
There is a lot of science to picking a winner, and this makes the analytical exercise enjoyable for many, and the time spent is probably a third of the time you need to spend of the gee-gees.
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