North West Greyhound Racing Club

TBC
Visit Facebook page
nwgrc.secretary@yahoo.com

Welcome to the NWGRC

The North West Greyhound Racing Club conducts greyhound races every Tuesday afternoon.

The Devonport Chase

A major highlight on our racing calendar is the Group 3 Ladbrokes Devonport Chase held in December each year. This event attracts a wide interest from the public, media and industry both interstate and intrastate.

PLESE NOTE: The Devonport Chase and regular Tuesday meetings will be conducted at other racetracks in Tasmania while a new track is developed in the northwest of the state.

Devonport greyhound racing upcoming events

Race day admission is free.

Did you know ...

The first Devonport greyhound meeting run by the NWGRC was held inside the trotting track at the Devonport Showgrounds.

It was held on Thursday April 3 1952, conducting 10 races, all with 10 starters. The grass track raced over one distance, 465 yards.

The winner of the first race was Franken Boy (box 3). The first feature event was held on the same night and was called the Rainbow Cup. It was won by Glentude (box 2) the 6/4 ($2.50) favourite.

Pictured right local legend Copper Delight winning a Devonport Cup semi.

New track

The NWGRC will be located at the new northwest track when completed.

Becoming a Member

Become a member of the North West Greyhound Racing Club and enjoy the club’s hospitality on offer at the iconic Devonport Showgrounds.

Benefits

Members can bring along family or friends to the club’s race meetings by purchasing guest’s day tickets at the gate. Membership is open to all people over the age of 18, in accordance with the rules of the North West Greyhound Racing Club. All members have the right to nominate friends and relatives for membership of the club. Club members are entitled to exercise voting rights in elections for committee of the club and on matters pertaining to Annual and General Meetings of members including Life Membership. Membership of the North West Greyhound Racing Club also entitles each member to:

  • 10 complimentary admission tickets, which can be used on all race days excluding any dual code meetings that may occur. (Tickets must be surrendered at the time of use.)
  • $5 discount on club uniforms.

    • Memberships can be obtained at a cost of $30 upon completion of an application form, and memberships are renewable each season.

    For further information please contact us:

    Visit our Facebook page

    Email: nwgrc.secretary@yahoo.comu

Establishment

The first Devonport Greyhound Racing Club Committee was formed on 17 March 1939 after a meeting was held in Devonport on 16/3/1939. The meeting was attended by over thirty people with an interest in greyhound racing. At this meeting a unanimous motion was carried that a greyhound racing club was to be formed at Devonport, and a sub-committee was appointed.

The Track

In 1945, The Devonport Greyhound Racing Club applied for the use of the Devonport Showgrounds. However, the fundraising task combined with delay in obtaining approval for licencing and final acceptance of the agreed lease of the Devonport Showgrounds in 1950 saw the start of the races held back until 1952.

Early Racing

The first meeting was held inside the trotting track at the Devonport Showgrounds, and was held on Thursday April 3 1952 with 10 races, all with 10 starters. The grass track raced over one distance of 465 yards. The winner of the first race was Franken Boy. The first feature event was held on the same night and was called the Rainbow Cup. It was won by Glentude.

Eventually, a 573 yard distance was added and the track surface was converted to sand during the 1980s. The track currently races over 452 and 580 metres with the starting boxes in the same starting position as the first days of racing at the venue.

Until the early 1980s, Devonport had a four-month hiatus during the winter months with racing not conducted between May and August each year.

Turn of the Century

Since then, the Devonport track has held regular meetings every week (usually on a Tuesday). Succumbing to financial difficulties in 1998, the greyhound community pulled together to re-invest in the club and it was duly renamed the North West Greyhound Racing Club.

Since the turn of the century, the track’s facilities have undergone renovations which have seen a refurbished grandstand and a new kennel block for spectators and

participants with the site still shared with the Devonport Harness Racing Club.

The Devonport Chase (formerly Devonport Cup)

The club’s feature race is The Devonport Chase run over 452 metres. The race was elevated to Group 3 status in 2010. The race was run for the first time on April 2 1953 when it was taken out by King’s Idea. The Devonport Cup has only missed two years of being held in its long history, first in 1963 and again in 2002. The race was run twice in 1996. The first running was in January with the winner being Ginger’s Charm. The second running was in October when it was taken out by High Tech Boris. The race was moved to October partly to give chasers a good lead up to the state’s biggest race, the Hobart Thousand. This happened until 2003 from which time it has always been held in January.

Track Record

The 452 metre track record was one of the longest held in Australia at one point. Lilli Pilli Lad ran 25.13 on 7 July 2000 and that time was not bettered until Sing The Song scorched around the circuit in 25.01 on 6 May 2014. It is very rare for a record to stay untouched for almost 14 years, and this was proven when Penny’s Roman flew around in a time of 24.95 on March 8 2016.

Sponsorship

Sponsorship of the North West Greyhound Racing Club offers an attractive investment as part of any marketing plan. 30-minute is a powerful tool in shaping consumer attitudes, driving consumer sales, creating image enhancement, heightening visibility and relationship marketing.

The NWGRC can provide a first class vehicle for marketing your business or product. We regularly receive feedback from our sponsors that they experience benefits that far out way the cost of being involved.

To find out the sponsorship opportunities currently available download the Sponsorship Opportunities [PDF]

Or contact us:

Visit our Facebook page

Email: nwgrc.secretary@yahoo.comu

Contact details

Visit our Facebook page

Email: nwgrc.secretary@yahoo.comu

Sponsors