Tassie's Best Chasing Nationals Glory

EXCITEMENT is reaching fever pitch Australia wide with this year's Group 1 Crocmedia National Championships, as each state holds their heats and finals of the sprint and distance events starting in Tassie at Launceston this Thursday night.

Two heats of the State Distance Championship will be run over the 720-metre journey, with heat one boasting the Apple Isles in-form stayers Bobby Bound and Vrontios, looking to ignite a previous clash which saw Vrontios claim a triumphant 42.80 victory back in June.

The Robin Stocks-trained Bobby Bound is the veteran of the staying ranks and is racing in career best form taking out a feature race double in consecutive weeks at Hobart over 599m, winning the Greg Fahey Middle Distance Championship and the Chinatown Lad Distance.

The son of Decembrist and Disney Bound has raced 103 times for 23 wins and 41 minor placings.

Vrontios, from the kennels of West Moonah trainer Kevin McConnon, commands respect racing to victory on 12 out 61 occasions. His CV of feature races includes the Sky Racing Distance Championship and the Winter Stakes Final, looking the greyhound to beat in the series.

Buckle Up Rose, a daughter former champion sprinter Buckle Up Wes, trained by Leith-based Gary Johnson, is just one of a few in-form sprinters lining up in the three heats of the State Sprint Championship, on the back of a 29.73 performance at her last start run on the track.

Last year's local Sprint Champion Gold Lenny is looking to keep trainer Rodney Walker's affinity with the Nationals in tack, as the Bagdad-based conditioner has represented Tasmania in Distance Grand Finals twice, with Bold Tarmoor in 1986 and Lemon Moss in 2004.

Walker has claimed two state sprint titles; his first victory was in 2005 with Blackberry Moss.

Dual group race finalist Apollo Blue has returned to peak form, making it five from five in a heat of the division one – JG Nelson Cup series on the Tasman Park circuit, with his Tassie Hall of Fame trainer Butch Deverell a master in priming his chasers for top-class events.

The Fernando Bale x Millie Grace chaser has won 11 of 29 starts with a Launceston PB of 29.74.
Winners and the two fastest seconds from the sprint heats will progress to the state final.

The first four placegetters and two fifth placings will go through to the Distance final which will be decided on a huge night of greyhound racing on Thursday, August 9.

Tasmania has only the one National Sprint Championship in the record books back in 1984 when Busy Vintage, trained by David Crosswell, became the first and only Tasmanian chaser to capture the National Sprint Title at the iconic Harold Park track in NSW.

Winners of the Tasmanian Sprint and Distance Championships will go up against the best at Sandown Park on Friday night, August 24, competing for $75,000 in racing riches.