A FITTING AND FOND FAREWELL TO DAPTO GREYHOUNDS

GRNSW

The iconic Dapto Greyhound racetrack was given the “farewell it thoroughly deserved” on Thursday night as the curtain closed on the historic racing venue.

After nearly 90 years of racing at the Dapto Showground, Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW) staged their final race meeting at the venue in what was a night of nostalgia for the large crowd.

Earlier this year GRNSW was informed their lease on the Showground site would not be renewed beyond June 2026. The organisation decided that instead of waiting until then, the best way to properly say goodbye would be on the club’s night of night, the night of Group 1 Ladbrokes Megastar.

One of the largest crowds seen at the venue since the halcyon days, forced officials to shut the gates, with many who packed the track reminiscing about years of attending Thursday night race meetings at Dapto.

The feature event was won by Eriza Sparkles trained down the road at Nowra by Steve Fitch.

To say their goodbyes and take their own little piece of Dapto with them, the crowd was allowed onto the track after the last race and given containers to take home some sand from the track.

Another highlight was the auctioning of the famous Dapto winning post. It went for $10,000 to leading trainer Andy Lord, with the money raised going to the Mark Hughes Foundation.

“It has been an amazing night, and it’s so pleasing to see that the Dapto track was given the farewell it thoroughly deserved tonight,” GRNSW Chief Executive Officer Steve Griffin said.

“We saw some outstanding racing on the night and I must congratulate the connections of Eriza Sparkles in winning the final ever Group 1 Ladbrokes Megastar. In fact congratulations not just to all winners on the night, but everyone who competed on the final night at Dapto.

“But this evening was about so much more than racing. I spoke with people tonight who have been coming here for 20, 30, 40 years, and for all of them, tonight was about those memories and friendships which have been forged here at Dapto.

“Of course it was a night tinged with sadness, but we also wanted it to be a night of celebration and I think that’s exactly what it was.

“I believe that we all should feel lucky to have experienced Dapto, and we shouldn’t be sad because it’s over, we should be happy that we take away so many lasting memories.”

The night ended almost 89 years of action at the venue with Dapto having staged its first race meeting on Thursday, February 25, 1937.

In 1939, Dapto became the first club in NSW to introduce night racing under lights, the first of many revolutionary moves to extend the sport’s appeal and reach.

Among other innovations were the world’s richest race the $100,000 Super Coat Classic in 1991, the first track in NSW to switch from grass to loam in 1992, while superstar Flying Amy also graced the track in the four-dog Shoot Out during a busy decade.

In the late 1990s the venue hit mainstream media when avid industry supporter, the late rugby league star Terry Hill, regularly brought the Channel 9 Footy Show cameras to Dapto. They also famously promoted the greyhound Nads which was trained by Greg Wynn and would raise more than $250,000 for the Children’s Hospital.

The Megastar was born as an Invitational event in 2010 with Mr Metz winning. In 2011 the race gained Group 3 status, it was elevated to Group 2 the following year, and then in 2013 the Megastar became a Group 1 event, won by Victorian Peter Rocket.

Thursday night was about one more time. One last night. One last race meeting. One final Megastar, and one final lasting memory for all of the famous Dapto Greyhounds.