The club still has two more Tuesday night meetings to host for Gosford Greyhounds while its track is closed for renovations and preparations are in hand to host the region’s best 400 metre sprinters in the time-honoured Gold Collar over the next two Thursday afternoons.

Nominations for the prestigious sprint race close on Monday morning and it is hoped Queensland trainer Darren Russell will return with 400m track record holder Precious Sal.

Precious Sal set the new time standard of 21.87s on January 25 and backed it up a week later with a sizzling win over the 450m at Maitland.

The daughter of El grand Senor and Surin’ Sal has shown a liking for the big one-turn circuits after recently making the final of the Cyril Rowe Cup at Bulli and will be the one to watch if Russell makes the return trip to Maitland.

Double win for Finch

Mick Finch and the crew from Tattersalls Hotel Greta scored a double win in the annual Country Hotels Challenge series at Maitland.

Four country pubs - Tattersalls Hotel Greta, Kearsley Hotel, Pedens Hotel Cessnock and the Neath Hotel - were vying for bragging rights and the perpetual trophies in the Country Hotels Maiden and the Country Hotels Challenge finals last Thursday.

The four pubs were each given runners in the two events and Finch and his team were lucky enough to win both finals and have their photograph taken presenting trophies to the winners.

The Darren Sultana-trainer Secret Of Ours started the ball rolling for Tattersalls when he won the Country Hotels Maiden over 400m in 22.60s.

The Allan Syphers-trained Fantastic Jett brought up the the double for the Tattersalls Hotel when he won the Country Hotels Challenge Final over 400m in 22.48s, beating John Byren’s Debt Cutter by a neck with John Lawson’s Sharnie a further two lengths away third.