The Ladbrokes Summer Six-Hundy was run and won for the first time in 2023 after the Group 3 race was moved from Wentworth Park and rebranded by the GBOTA.

The feature event was taken out by the Jodie Lord-trained Punter's Bandit in a thrilling four-way finish, with the Lord kennel claiming a race trifecta after Grim Madara and Coast Model made up the minors.

It was the second feature race victory in as many months for the daughter of Good Odds Harada, with Punter's Bandit also taking out the G2 Gosford Gold Cup at the track in January of 2023.

In 2024, ageless marvel Father Rick - the greyhound named after a local parish priest - won his third feature race in his past six starts.

Just as he did in his heat on January 23, Father Rick speared to the lead on box rise and gave none of his rivals a chance, this time clocking 34.36s, just half a length slower than his heat win. He had 1¾ lengths to spare from a gallant Off The Richter, with a further 1¼ lengths back to Has Ability in third place.

Sharron Webster watched on from behind the boxes with delight but on this night, her husband Ray wasn’t by her side as he always is.

Earlier in the day Ray had “a bit of an accident” when he fell at home and hit his head, an incident which landed him in hospital. He was only released and allowed to go home and watch the race just an hour before it jumped.

“He did it for Ray,” Sharron said of Father Rick’s win. “Ray’s OK. Thank goodness. He'll be watching him. He’ll have watched the race. He would just be so thrilled and he really wanted to be here tonight, but obviously circumstances didn't allow it … but he's here in spirit. 

“It's been a pretty emotional day for me today to be honest. It's my late father's birthday today. He would have been 84 today. He passed away when he was 66, so he's (Father Rick’s) done it for dad as well.

“I’m just so pleased. I’m just so glad it’s over. We’re so pleased, we’re thrilled, it’s just wonderful.”

The race, formerly know as the Wentworth Park Gold Cup, was first run in 1966 over 790 yards and it was won by Brigade in 43.8s.

The first running of the Wentworth Park Gold Cup was in 1966 over 790 yards and it was won by Brigade in 43.8s.

The honour roll of the Gold Cup is a who’s who of stayers. Among the winners have been Zoom Top (1968 and 1969), Ragsie (1972), Miss High Lo (1974), Kongwak (1984), National Lass (1986), and in more recent times, Space Star (2015) and in 2019 Blue Moon Rising leading home his sister Poco Dorado. 

After a Covid-19 cancellation in 2020, the Gold Cup was back in 2020 and featured some of the State's best stayers.

The Mark Gatt-trained Stanley Road, regarded as the best stayer in the country, was chasing another big win in the Cup Final, but victory would go to the Ray Magri-trained Zipping Niseko.

Hank The Hustler took out the event in 2022 for Victorian Jeff Britton, with the win coming just a few months after his runner-up finish in the Group 2 Summer Distance Plate at the same track.

It was billed as a race between David Smith's Super Estrella and Jason Magri's Zipping Kansas, but sometimes it just never works out that way and in 2022 that was the case.

Neither greyhound began well and both were checked soon after jumping. For Zipping Kansas that would be the end of his winning hopes, but Super Estrella kept working and surged to the lead after a lap.

The concern was how much that early check and effort would take out of her and heading up the back straight Victorian Hank The Hustler - who had been last at the post the first time - made his move.

Coming out of the back Hank still has a few lengths to make up but halfway down the straight he moved alongside Super Estrella and went on to win by a length in 42.27s.

Third place went to Adam Campton's Ziggy Stardust.

In 2023, the race has been moved to the Gosford Greyhound Club and it will be the tracks first ever Group race over the middle distance journey of 603m.

The heats will be run on January 24 with the final on February 4.