It’s a night that boasts 12 feature finals worth more than $560,000 in prizemoney, specifically for greyhounds bred in Victoria, with prizemoney to include breeder bonuses, and is billed as a celebration and recognition of those involved in the sport across Victoria.
The events on the card are over varying race distances with greyhounds of all abilities and stages of their career, all born and bred in Victoria.
The main event is the Pink Diamond Champion Sprinter final which is a mouth-watering contest between race favourites Transponder and Matt Loch.
Transponder was the winner of the same event last year at Warragul and is aiming for back-to-back titles.
He’s an elite talent that has won 28 of his 54 starts with more than $500,000 in prizemoney, including last year’s Topgun.
Warrnambool Cup winner Matt Loch is named in honour of part-owners Matt Field and Lachlan Barsby, who suffer from spina bifida and cerebral palsy respectively.
They were gifted their shares by Michelle Mallia, Matt Loch’s breeder and trainer.
Another high interest part of the night is in the Pink Diamond Veterans event.
It’s expected to be won by the mighty Silver Brute who has put together an incredible career for trainer Gary Peach.
Silver Brute will be lining up in his 100th start and aiming for his 64th win.
He’s known for his amazing early speed, having speared to the lead in 61 of his 99 starts.
Team Greenough enjoyed the successes of racing icon Wow She’s Fast in the past two years and have some smart youngsters coming through the ranks aiming to somewhat fill the kennel void.
They train Unleash In Miami in the Pink Diamond Rookie Short Course event, a winner of six of his seven starts.
They also have Zeus Thunderbolt in the Pink Diamond Maiden Sprinter final who broke 25 seconds over Shepparton’s 450m on his racing debut — which is a rare feat — as well as Flaming Wheels in the Pink Diamond Maiden Short Course event.
He Shines is a leading contender in the Pink Diamond Rookie Sprinter final for Caldermeade trainers David and Rose Kerr.
Five years ago they walked away from careers in maintenance and teaching to take a leap of faith and fully invest in greyhound racing, and they have seen consistent success with He Shines promising to be their most exciting yet.
Shepparton Greyhound Racing Club will be honouring its past history with a yesteryear theme and historic photos.
The first race kicks off at 6.05pm.
There will be prizes to be won, music by 2023 The Voice contestant Shanae Watson, as well as gin, whiskey and vodka tastings thanks to Australian distiller 36 Short.