KICK out your corgi, toss away your terrier, pack away your poodle and discard your daschund.

If you are going to have a dog in your backyard you had better make it a greyhound.

Interest in the speedy pooches is booming again as prizemoney for feasture races continues to soar.

Just this week the Sandown Greyhound Racing Club announced that prizemoney for the 2012 Melbourne Cup has been lifted to a record breaking $500,000 in prize money with a first prize of $350,000.

Regarded as Australia’s most prestigious greyhound race, the 2012 Melbourne Cup will be the richest greyhound race ever run.

"The Melbourne Cup is our flagship event, and we are proud to elevate its prize money to a level never before seen in greyhound racing," said SGRC Chairman Geoff Dawson.

"With over $1,000,000 in prize money on offer throughout the November Superdogs series, this year’s edition of the Melbourne Cup promises to be the most keenly ever contested."

But it isn't just the Melbourne Cup that is worth chasing.

In addition to a record prize money increase to its premier event, the Sandown will elevate all five of its Group 1 events to a minimum of $100,000 to the winner, with heats worth at least $7000 to the winner. Five Listed events have been added to the calendar, giving the club 16 black type races through the year.

The club will also run 12 Grade 5 finals worth $12,000 to the winner.

"Sandown Park has long been Australia’s leading greyhound facility, and we delighted to offer such an exciting feature event calendar that caters for such a wide range of greyhounds," said SGRC CEO Greg Miller.

"The Club’s ability to offer such amazing prize money for its feature races is testament to the hard work not only of those at Sandown, Greyhound Racing Victoria and the Victorian State Government, which has been a great supporter of greyhound racing, but to the owners, trainers and punters that continue to support the club and industry."

The Melbourne Cup announcement is possible thanks to additional $450,000 from GRV, and comes as part of GRV’s recent decision to increase prize money by 20 per cent from $30 million to $36 million for 2012/13.

The 2012 Melbourne Cup final will be run on Thursday 22 November.

LEVIATHAN owner Lloyd Williams will unveil his latest Melbourne Spring hope when well travelled German bred stayer Seville steps out in the Anniversary Vase at Caulfield on Saturday.

Although he is the winner of only one race from his nine starts, Seville has raced against top quality European fields including a 10^th in the 2011 English Derby followed by a second to Treasure Beach in the 2011 Irish Derby.

He has also been runner-up in a Group 1 over 1609m at Doncaster and a Group 1 over 2400m at Longchamps in France.

The 4YO son of top staying sire Galileo has not started since September 11, when he ran fourth of nine over 2937m in the Group 1 St. Leger at Doncaster.

His only win was at his second start when an odds-on favourite in a field of four over 1400m at Tipperary in Ireland.

Williams has parted with a fortune in the past few years buying prospective Melbourne Cup contenders from England with mixed success.

As with all of Williams’ horses Seville has been mainly prepared in private at the Mt Macedon stables of Robert Hickmott but he did impress when he won an 1190m trial at Cranbourne on April16.

Saturday’s Anniverary Vase has attracted a top quality field and although he has been placed at his only two first up runs and he is a winner over 1400m, Seville might find a few of these a bit too speedy.

Come November and come 3200m the story might be a bit different.

Sportsbet have Sheila's Star as the favourite for this one at $3 for the win and $1.50 for the place.

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SMARTLY performed import Drunken Sailor will have to overcome a huge weight disadvantage against the rest of the field if he is to win the Mornington Cup but on quality he does look good value.

Alloted 60kg., he is giving 5.5kg. to the next weighted horse Western Jewel with the rest of the 14 horse field all set  the minimum weight of 54kg.

Drunken Sailor was entered for last week’s Hobart Cup but his trainer Michael Moroney elected to bypass that race when the horse was lumped with 60.5kg.

The Mornington race will be Drunken Sailor’s second start for Moroney after  the Flemington trainer took over responsibilities for the horse from English trainer Luca Cumani who prepared him for his assault on the Melbourne Spring Carnival.

In the two biggest staying races in Victoria Drunken Sailor ran a pleasing seventh in the Caulfield Cup before he was checked in the running when 12^th in the Melbourne Cup.

First up for Moroney he sat just off the pace throughout and held on well for third over 1800m at Caulfield on January 26.

He will have no trouble with the extra distance at Mornington having won up to 3200m in England.

In fact his most successful distance has been the 2400m over which he has won three races including a Group 3 event at Goodwood last July.

At present Drunken Sailor is a juicy $16.00 with Sportingbet while at $2.30 the favourite for the Mornington Cup is the highly promising Power O’Raylee who has won her last five starts which began with a 1500m maiden win at Mornington last November.

Since then she has gone on to win at the four Melbourne city tracks including a last start 4 length win over 240m at Moonee Valley on January 27.

The Mornington Cup is the eighth race on a big 10 race card and is scheduled ot be run at 4pm.

Race 8 Mornington Cup 2400m 4pm

LET’S say it as it really is – the French don’t have too good a record against the British when it comes down to a battle.

You know: Trafalgar, Waterloo, etc. etc.

But it is fair to add that the Frogs have got the upper hand over the Poms recently when it comes to a war on the racetrack.

While a couple of Irish gallopers have snared our Melbourne Cup, the past two decades have seen the long home straight at Flemington littered with the carcasses of English representatives that have often proven duds.

They have threatened to win the Cup several times and none have gone closer than the Ed Dunlop trained Red Cadeaux who this year was beaten a half a nostril in the tightest Melbourne Cup finish to date.

His conqueror was the French galloper Dunaden who did what Napoleon was unable to do by finishing in front at the end of a battle to the finish with the English.

That made it two Cups in for the French after Americain held off Maluckyday and So You Think in 2010.

As such Dunlop and Red Cadeaux will be looking for revenge when they face up to Dunaden again in the Group 1 Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Vase over 2400 metres at Sha Tin next weekend.

Of course it will be much more than a two horse race with an extra 12 top-class contenders for the $AUS1,765,000 prize on offer, but you can be sure that Dunlop’s ambition will be to make sure Red Cadeaux beats Dunaden to the line this time.

IT has produced the last two Melbourne Cup winners and now the Werribee racetrack is again about to start churning out plenty of maidens, Class 1s, Class 2s, etc.

After successfully conducting a series of jump outs last Friday the all clear has been given for the return to racing at what was once (okay, a long time ago) considered a city track.

There hasn’t been a race meeting conducted at Werribee since it’s Cup meeting on March 18, after jockeys complained about the state of the track.

At the time Racing Victoria chairman Rob Hines said: "The jockeys reported that the track was still not particularly well consolidated. "The thought was that if it got a bit of rain, it would be an issue. The proposal is that we won't race there for a few months, give it a good chance to consolidate.”

Remarkably those complaints came after Racing Victoria had spent millions of dollars on the track, mainly to cater for the imported horses that used it as a quarantine training facility in preparation for the Melbourne Cup.

As far as that went it was a success as French galloper Dunaden showed at Flemington when he took out the great race.

A year earlier Americain had used Werribee as a base before winning the 2010 Melbourne Cup.

The return to racing at Werribee has been pencilled in for Saturday, December 10, with nominations closing at noon on Monday, December 5.

Racing Victoria (RV) Chief Operating Officer, Bernard Saundry, said: “We are pleased that the jockeys have declared the track safe and that it is fit to resume racing,” “The track has been a wonderful base for the international visitors, including Emirates Melbourne Cup winner Dunaden, throughout the Spring Racing Carnival and now the focus returns to racing."

Saundry explained that the surface has been prepared as a slow track for international trackwork over the past three months which meant it carried excess moisture for the jumps outs.

“It will now be prepared as a racing surface. The track will be rolled regularly between now and the resumption of racing and local horses will gallop on it weekly as part of the maintenance program which will deliver an optimum racing surface on 10 December,” he explained.

GUN jockey Craig Williams will be looking for further Group 1 success at Ascot on Saturday to complete his roller coaster Spring.

We can call it a roller coaster because he did have a major dip when a suspension at the Bendigo Cup meeting cost him the ride on Dunaden who went on to win the Melbourne Cup.

But really apart from the one hiccup, albeit a substantial one, it has been all up, up and up for the freckle faced Williams.

His stellar Melbourne Spring started with Caulfield Cup success aboard Southern Speed on October 15, followed four days later with Dunaden in the Geelong Cup on October 19.

Three days after Geelong he produced a gem of a ride on Pinker Pinker to claim Australia’s Weight-For-Age classic the W S Cox Plate.

Unfortunately the Bendigo suspension cost him the chance of being the first jockey to win the Melbourne Triple Crown in the one season but he when he returned at Sandown last week he bounced back to ride a quartet of winners.

It was the third time that Williams has ridden four winners at Sandown and he also rode four at Flemington on Australian Cup day in 2009.

His career best effort was riding the first five at Caulfield, all for trainer David Hayes, on Memsie Stakes day in 2006.

At Ascot Williams has two highly rated chances n each of the two Group 1 races on the program.

He will partner the Mark Webb-trained Avienus in the $1 million Railway Stakes (1600m) and Paul Messara’s Oretensia in the $1 million Winterbottom Stakes (1200m).

Avienus is currently an $11.00 chance with Tabsportsbet fixed odds and Oretnsia is a $2.20 favourite for the Winterbottom.

He also rides Saint Encosta ($10.00) in the Listed Tatt’s Cup and King Saul ($3.20) in the Group 2 Western Australia Guineas.

Williams is no stranger to success at Ascot having won last year’s Railway Stakes on Gathering and he won the 2009 Winerbottom on Ortensia when it was a Group 2 affair.

It will be Williams’ last day of riding in Australia before he heads to Japan where he has a contract for six weeks of riding and he is hopeful of securing a mount in the Japan Cup.

A flying start helped Dyna Tron set up an early break in the $200,000 Solo Melbourne at Sandown and from there he never looked like getting caught.

NSW owner Paul Wheeler had the first seven dogs home in the Cup as Shereen Bale trailed the leader throughout with Allen Elroy holding off the fast finishing Bekim Bale for the minor placing.

Enry Walt, owned and trained by Gary Ennis was the only non-Wheeler greyhound in the final and after finding early trouble he finished at the tail.

Approaching the home turn Shereen Bale made a little ground on the tearaway leader but she never really looked like bridging the gap but battled on well for a clear second.

Trainer Tom Dailly, part of the team at Anakie that prepared four of the finalists shouted himself hoarse during the race.

Interviewed straight after the race he said in a crokey voice: “In the last month he (Dyna Tron) has just improved out of sight.

“I thought Shereen Bale was strong and we may be in a bit of trouble but he kept on going beautifully.”

Dyna Tron stopped the clock as a sizzling 29.22s which made the run of Bekim Bale a tremendous effort.

As feared he was only moderately away and got into a bumping duel with several others for the first 100 metres.

He was at least 10 lengths of the leader entering the back straight and really only got motoring in the final stages.

For Dyna Tron it was his 21^st win from 42 starts and the $200,000 first prize took his career earnings to $317,580.

Lik e Dunaden in the equine version of the Melbourne Cup earlier this month Dyna Tron won the Geelong Cup on his way to Melbourne Cup glory.

BARRING an upset there is little doubt that NSW greyhound breeder/owner Paul Wheeler will tonight hold the $200,000 Solo Melbourne Cup aloft but there is plenty to argue about which one of his greyhounds will earn him that honour.

As we have mentioned Wheeler owns seven of the eight finalists, plus the two reserves, and a strong case can be made for all of them.

The only non-Wheeler run is the Gary Ennis owned and trained Enry Walt but although he has won 10 of 26 starts at the track, at $26.00 he is regarded as one of the longshots in the field.

Pre-post favourite with TAB Sportsbet is the current track record holder Bekim Bale at $2.70, but his odds his kept drifting since he drew the dreaded box four.

Possibly just behind box five, the four is considered the worst possible starting position.

Unless you get out quickly the odds are that the field is going to tighten up in the first 50 to 100 metres and anything can happen.

A winner at seven of his only nine starts Bekim Bale won at his only outing from box four box that was a Grade 5 affair and Group 1 fields are much harder to conquer.

He was the fastest heat winner last week but he was beaten for early pace before stretching out late to run down Robert’s Theories for a narrow but convincing victory.

If he is anywhere near the leaders on the home turn he should prove hard to hold out.

Punters rate his toughest opponent as the rails runner Shereen Bale at $2.80.

Shereen Bale has started seven times from box one for four brilliant wins and showed plenty of early dash to lead throughout for her heat win last week, only just over a length slower than Bekim Bale’s best time for the night.

The next favoured runner is Dyna Tron ($3.20) who looks well suited drawn wide in box seven.

He has three wins and three placings in six starts from box seven but significantly he is unbeaten in four outings from box eight.

Wheeler’s other runners are:

No. 2, Numero Uno Bale whose lack of early pace may trouble him

No. 5, Bala Bale who goes quick early and is capable of some fast times.

No. 6, Allen Elroy who also goes fast early but t e last 50 metres may test him.

No. 8, Dyna Morris who could cause an upset if there is plenty of trouble his inside.

The Gary Ennis trained Enry Walt won his heat last week from box three but in has only two placings in eight previous starts from that draw and would have been better served drawn out wide.

The field for the Solo Melbourne Cup raced eight tonight over 515 metres at 9.57pm:

CRAIG Williams atoned his missing the Melbourne Cup on suspension by steering Warrnambool trained galloper So Swift ($19.00) to victory in the Sandown Guineas.

Williams settled So Swift midfield early before moving forward on the home turn.

Heavily backed Sydney colt Niagara ($8.50 to $7.00) had tried to lead throughout but in a blanket finish So Swift edged him out by a nose with race favourite Galah ($3.60) a short half head away third.

The win brought up a winning treble for Williams who won the first race with Maximus Moonard ($16.00) and the fifth race on hot-pot Under The Eiffel ($1.90 fav.).

He also had a treble of second placegetters in races two, three and four.

Of course he missed out on the biggest treble of all after winning the Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate only to be suspended and miss the mount on Melbourne Cup winner Dunaden.

======

IN the other feature race for the day the margin wasn’t as big as many thought it would be but the result went as all expected when 2010 Melbourne Cup champ Americain added a Zipping Classic to his resume.

Allowed to bide his time in second last place of the field of five into the straight, Americain ($1.55 fav.) took a little while to pick up the bit but when he did he quickly reeled in the leaders Mourayan ($4.80) and Manighar ($13.00) to win easing down by three quarters of a length.

Mourayan had set a gentle  pace up to just pace the 1000 metre mark when the racing became a little more serious.

Manighar had trailed the leader and took the lead for a short time approaching the straight but he had no answer for Americain’s late charge but he did manage to hold off Mourayan and snared the runner-up cheque.

The fourth imported galloper in the field of five, Saptapadi ($61.00) continued his dismal record in Australia when he enjoyed the run of the race but dropped out to finish last behind the only locally bred runner Lamasery ($9.00) who had trailed the field throughout.

IN one of the most remarkable nights in the history of not just greyhound racing, but racing of any kind, leading owner Paul Wheeler has seen seven of his sprinters qualify for next week’s Melbourne Cup final at Sandown Park.

It was always going to be a big night for the Boorowa (NSW) based breeder/owner who was represented with a staggering 18 runners in the eight heats but nobody could have predicted such a dominant display.

He quinellaed two of the heats and went one better with the trifecta in race five.

Next week’s final is worth $200,000 which he can add on to the $82,000 his greyhounds collected for the heats.

And he just missed out on claiming the entire field with two of his charges Allen Lawson and Heston Bale in the mix behind the Gary Ennis owned and trained Enry Watt in the only heat he didn’t win.

For good measure Wheeler also owns both reserves.

With Paul following on from his father Allan, the Wheeler family have been at the forefront of the greyhound breeding industry for more than four decades but even they haven’t been as strong as they are at present.

Wheeler owned greyhounds won the first five heats before Enry Walt took out the sixth heat but Wheeler bounced back to claim heats seven and eight.

Fastest of Wheeler’s seven finalists was boom youngster Bekim Bale, but he did it the hard way before clocking a brilliant 29.28 seconds.

The most exciting greyhound in the country, Bekim Bale ($1.70F) was fairly from box eight, and trailed the early leader Zippstar around the home before gaining the lead in the closing stages.

The win improved his career record to seven wins from nine starts, including six wins from seven starts which includes the track record for the Lightwood Road circuit.

Already a winner of the Group 3 Macro Meats Shootout, Bekim Bale started the night a $4.40 favourite with TAB Sportsbet to win the Cup, and was promptly shortened to $2.00 when markets reopened following the final Cup heat.

That price could move either way depending on next Monday’s box draw.

$200,000 Solo Melbourne Cup heat results:
Click on any heat for a video replay

Heat 1: Allen Elroy (5), 29.36
Heat 2: Shereen Bale (8), 29.37
Heat 3: Bala Bale (5), 29.38
Heat 4: Dyna Tron (8), 29.31
Heat 5: Bekim Bale (8), 29.28
Heat 6: Enry Walt (3), 29.41
Heat 7: Numero Uno Bale (7), 29.56
Heat 8: Dyna Morris (1), 29.65