What Makes the Futurity Races Different?

CONCEPT - What sets these races apart from any other greyhound stakes race is that the owners/trainers make their intentions to race known before the greyhound puppies even begin formal training.

PAYMENTS - The owners pay a nominal initial fee to reserve a spot in the qualifying races. To keep that reservation, progressively higher sustaining fees are paid on each space approximately every two months. The owners have the opportunity to drop spots from the competition, but none can be added after the initial reservation deadline. There are six sustaining fees between initial reservation and qualifying payments.

LATE NOMINATIONS - If an owner has a puppy he wants to run in this race, but failed to reserve a space during the reservation period, his only recourse is to obtain a spot from another owner. Absolutely no spaces can be added after the initial reservation period.

QUALIFYING RACES - Once all the sustaining fees are paid, a payment of $1000 is needed to enter qualifying races. At this time, the owner names the greyhound that will run or forfeit all the fees that have been paid. All greyhounds named to the race must have been whelped between June 1 and November 30, 2004 to be eligible for the 2006 race. All participants race equally for points. After the first three rounds of qualifying races, the field is cut in half and the points start over for the remaining three rounds of qualifying races . The top 8 point-earners from this round advance to the Final race and the second 8 point-earners advance to the Consolation race.

PURSES - The purse value is determined by the amount of money collected from the owners in nomination and sustaining fees, plus money added by The Woodlands. The Woodlands uses a small percentage of this total for marketing and promotion of the race, but the rest is divided among the 16 finalists. The winner receives 45% of the net purse.

EVENTS - The Woodlands will host many out of town guests as greyhounds arrive from all over the country. Media is invited to meet the owners and trainers at the post position draw in the days following the final qualifying race. The evening before the race, a gala dinner celebration is offered to all the owners and trainers. The Great American Greyhound Futurity final and consolation races are held annually on Memorial Day with a special noon post time.

* THE WORLD'S RICHEST GREYHOUND RACE - The 2001 Great American Greyhound Futurity has been recognized by the Guinness Book of Records as being the World's Richest Greyhound Race. That year, the gross purse was $344,762.25 of which $155,143 went to the winner, Tom S Green Mile.