Phenomenal demand for greyhounds at Thurles Sales

Signs of growing confidence within the greyhound racing sector were seen at the Thurles Sales on Tuesday (24 October) with 54 dogs sold from a total of 56 on the bench. The only two unsold were Kildubh Rocky with top bid reaching €1,400 (reserve €2,500) and Honey River unsold at €3,400 (reserve €6,000) although a sale outside the auction is expected for the latter greyhound.

The tops selling dog was Sals Express, sold for €3,600 to Karol Ramsbottom.

Billy O’Dwyer of the Sales & Ownership Committee commented “The Thurles Sales shows growing confidence in the market. There was phenomenal demand as there was a bid received for every dog. Bidding was very strong with the average selling price at €1,000 - this is a new record for a sales meeting in Thurles. Most buyers were looking for general graders. I believe the demand is due to a recent increase in prize money of 25% or €1.2m by Bord na gCon, along with demand for the SIS market in the UK. The overall prize money total will mean an investment of over €9 million across 16 tracks nationwide.”