By Brisbane Greyhound Club CEO Luke Gatehouse

The coronavirus may have robbed us of plenty in 2020, but it won’t stop us from paying tribute to the sport’s best.

Earlier this year the 2019 Queensland Greyhound of the Year awards were postponed as just one of the casualties of the pandemic. However, the major awards will still be made and the winners congratulated at a scaled-down version at the Brisbane Greyhound Club on Thursday, September 17.

Although some of the bells and whistles will be missing from what has become one of the major social nights of greyhound racing in Queensland, this will still be a night of prestige.

It is important that we honour our best, even in trying times.

These awards are about so much more than some backslapping and a reason to have a party. As everyone in this industry knows, to achieve success takes a lot of blood sweat and tears.

So, it is extremely vital that those who do achieve success are acknowledged by their peers. There are plenty of humble people in our sport, who do not seek out accolades, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be given.

And, as I have said on many an occasion, we go through enough tough times, so it is fitting that we celebrate the good times.

The Brisbane club is extremely proud to host the awards this year. Here is just a taste of what we will see on the night.

There are three finalists for the 2019 Queensland Greyhound of the Year – Bago Bye Bye trained by Darren Russell, Dam Slippery for Brett Hazelgrove and Wise Misty for Craig Hazelgrove. Brett and Craig are brothers.

As well as the three finalists, highly commended for their performances during 2019 were Corykodi, Double Gee, Infrared Lad, Infrared Star, Quara’s Flick, Regal Recall and Zipping Cosmo.

There is a new award called the Run of the Year, for the best performance on a Queensland track.

Last year, QRIC introduced an award to acknowledge a significant contribution from that organisation’s point of view. The winner was Mary Burman for her ongoing work with the GAP program. The QRIC award is on again for 2019.

Another prestigious gong is the Top Simbi Award, which acknowledges a person or persons, occasion or event that creates positive media publicity for the sport.

The Young Achiever for 2018 was John Hutchison, a fine young trainer in his own right and grandson of Hall of Fame member John Reimer. That award is on again.

The Women in Racing winner for 2018 was Erin Cameron for her work at Capalaba, particularly with promoting the club through social media. No fewer than nine names were discussed for the 2019 Women in Racing title. Suffice to say there were some impressive candidates.

It will be a great night – hope to see you there.

Pictured: Racing Queensland’s Dale Cartwright, Craig Hazelgrove and Wise Misty