Oxford Stadium will host a pair of Category Two greyhound racing competitions through November, following the success of the inaugural £10,000 RPGTV Cowley Puppy Collar.
The Gain Greyhound Nutrition Oxfordshire Gold Cup and Gain Greyhound Nutrition Maiden Vase will both be held over the Cowley venue’s standard 450-metre trip and have each attracted a maximum field of 24 runners.
Both competitions will begin this Friday, November 11, with the top three greyhounds from each of the four Round One heats advancing to next week’s semi-finals. The top three semi finalists will then race in their respective competition’s Grand Final on Friday, November 25.
Connections of the two winning dogs will scoop the £5,000 first prizes on offer.
Kevin Boothby, Oxford Stadium Managing Director, said hosting two additional competitions is good news for the sport.
“The Cowley Puppy Collar unlocked some potential superstars of our sport,” said Kevin. “We believe hosting top quality racing week in, week out, will play an important role in the long-term success of greyhound racing in Oxford.
“It’s why the Oxfordshire Gold Cup and Maiden Vase are two timely competitions which we look forward to hosting. We must thank Gain Greyhound Nutrition who have been fantastic supporters of our regeneration programme.”
The launch of both competitions follows the first running of the prestigious RPGTV Cowley Puppy Collar, which was won by the Elizabeth McNair trained FromPostToPillar.
The 23-month-old dog has since been installed as favourite to win next year’s StarSports & TRC English Greyhound Derby – the world’s most prestigious greyhound racing competition worth £175,000 to the winner.
Kevin added: “They’ve nicknamed him Postie, because he always delivers.
“FromPostToPillar got caught in a bit of trouble on the bends on more than one occasion but showed great maturity to go through the card and become a well-deserved first Category One winner at Oxford in our new era.
“We’re hosting some of the UK’s best greyhounds every week, and enthusiasts within the sport are really getting behind our weekend fixtures. That coupled with strong turnouts from the local community and people in search of a fun, alternative, night out have helped make the sport’s return to Oxford an overwhelming success.”
Tickets for Round One of the Gain Greyhound Nutrition Oxfordshire Gold Cup and Maiden Vase are on sale now and can be purchased here.
General admission is priced £9, or tickets can be bought on the door for £12.
