Anticipation is building ahead of the opening night of the Sportsbet Australian Cup Carnival, which kicks off this Saturday night at The Meadows.
Night one sets the scene for the entire three-week carnival, featuring two hand-picked Group 1 races and the opening heats of Australia’s most famous greyhound event.
We’ll see:
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The Sportsbet Temlee (525m) for the elite sprinters
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The Sportsbet Zoom Top (730m) for the top stayers
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Eight heats of the Sportsbet Australian Cup
So how does it all fit together?
The Australian Cup Carnival runs over three weeks, with different pathways depending on whether a greyhound is a sprinter, a stayer or a middle-distance type.
Sprinters (525m)
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All greyhounds selected for the Temlee automatically qualify for the Australian Cup semi-finals in Week 2
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They are joined in those semi-finals by the top three finishers from each Australian Cup heat this week
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The top two from each semi-final progress to the Australian Cup Final in Week 3, making up the final field of eight
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Stayers (730m)
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The best eight stayers line up in the Zoom Top on opening night
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In Week 2, the focus shifts to the Fanta Bale (730m) heats, where those Zoom Top runners are joined by all other challengers aiming to qualify for the final
Middle-distance runners (600m)
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The Group 1 Rookie Rebel is run on Australian Cup Final night in Week 3
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This race often brings the series full circle, with:
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Sprinters who miss a spot in the Australian Cup stepping up in trip
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Stayers who fall short in the Fanta Bale dropping back in distance
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Three weeks. Multiple paths. One huge carnival. It all starts this Saturday night at The Meadows.
