Million Dollar Chase champion, greyhound racer Handsome Prince, retires

The former Tasmanian greyhound arrived at Lagogiane's kennels in Western Sydney just six weeks before he would become the sport's sixth highest prize money earner with victory at Wentworth Park last October, in one of the most thrilling editions of the event so far.

Lagogiane - who with his wife Jodie has won two of the three Million Dollar Chase Grand Finals staged, last year's edition with Handsome Prince and also with Mystic Riot, trained by Jodie back in 2018 - was getting Handsome Prince ready for a title defence when the dog suffered a back muscle injury during a trial at Richmond on Tuesday. He says the dog can now look forward to a thoroughly-deserved "life of luxury". Lagogiane is unsure if he will have a dog good enough to win another Million Dollar Chase in 2021, but if he does, he will be hoping to draw box 7 in the grand final. Both Mystic Riot and Handsome Prince wore the number 7 rug when they became millionaires.

I wrote last week that due to the COVID-19 restrictions, we were looking at a number of scenarios with the TAB Million Dollar Chase and I can say that a decision will be announced in coming days about the 2021 edition of the world's richest greyhound race. We have looked at several options, with fairness and the safety of our participants among the key objectives in our decision.

In the upcoming week we will, for the first time, crown not one but two NSW champions in both the sprint and distance categories. With NSW split into two racing zones, in 2021 we have decided to stage a State Sprint Championship and a State Distance Championship at Dapto next Thursday night for those participants in Zone 1, and for those in Zone 2, a Sprint Championship at Bathurst next Monday, and NSW Distance Championship at Ladbrokes Gardens on Friday. The winners of both of the Sprint Championships will receive an invitation into the TAB Million Dollar Chase semi-finals.

I must send congratulations to former Greyhounds as Pets (GAP) resident Pink who celebrated the gold medal win of her foster-carer Jess Fox at the Tokyo Olympics last week in the Canoe Slalom Final. For those who don't know, Jess fostered Pink from GAP last year while she was stuck at home unable to travel and compete due to COVID-19. She said of their relationship earlier this year: "She has a calming presence and has brought so much joy to our home in a period of uncertainty." Congratulations to Jess on an amazing effort and well-deserved gold medal.

This article was produced as part of an ACM partnership with Greyhound Racing NSW.