Non-Graded Final 450m (Group 2)

Finalists from heats on 1/12. Includes $200 Unplaced.

Prize money: $40000 / $8500 / $5500

The Maitland Gold Cup was first run in 2003 and taken out by Thread Prince, on grass, over 457m.

Track upgrades in 2004 meant the race was not run that year, but it was back on loam the following year over 450m.

The race, which took Group 2 status in 2010, has become a popular feature on the racing calendar and has been won by some smart greyhounds over the years.

The brilliant Black Magic Opal won in 2013, while Victorian star Paw Licking won the feature in 2014.

In 2017 Aussie Infrared won the sprint, Jason Mackay’s Aston Duke won in 2018, and in 2019 Black Forge took out the race for Darren Sultana.

In 2020 the Gold Cup was won by Mottza a $34 outsider for mother and son training team, Pat and Jackson Chalker.

Aussie Infrared's half brother Ebby Jet Power gave trainer Michael Eberand a second Maitland Gold Cup in 2021.

A year earlier Eberand had watched Ebby Infrared finish second to Mottza, and he admitted he thought that dog would be his best chance of a Cup win in 2021, adding he only was having "a throw at the stumps" by nominating Ebby Jet Power for the event.

But with a well timed finish, Ebby Jet Power just grabbed favourite More Sauce on the line to win.

Six months early Good Odds Cash was considered the leading sprinter in NSW, with sclaps such as Jungle Deuce, Wow and Zipping Kyrgios to her credit.

But after she cracked a tibia, a small hind leg bone, in the Flight To The Phoenix in December, she was forced off the seen for a few months.

It was jubilant return for the Tracey Hurst-trained sprinter when she took out the Group 2 Maitland Gold Cup Final in 2022.

“We brought her back for the Futurity but she wasn’t quite right so we took our time with her, and this situation kind of presented itself, almost by chance,” Tracey’s husband Frank said.

“With all the rain and tracks closed, it’s been a bit of schmozzle, so we decided to come up to Maitland to trial her and she went well and the Cup heats were on the next week so we decided to put her in them, and look at how it’s worked out."

Good Odds Cash posted 24.85s, clipping 0.02s from the race record established by Ebby Jet Power 12 months ago.

The Maitland track has been a happy hunting ground for Tracey and Frank Hurst.

Last year Frank won the prestigious Maitland Future Stars Maiden Final with Ties That Bind who finished well back in the Cup Final, and in 2018 the Frank Hurst-trained, Tracey Hurst-owned Good Odds Harada began his brilliant career with victory in the Maitland Future Stars Maiden.

In 2023, the race was taken out by the Ruth and Danielle Matic-trained Len Me Dad.

The son of Winxette (who is a half-sister to Wow) overpowering early leader Vamoose in the final 50m to claim his first biggest career victory, stopping the clock in a time of 24.94.

"Unbelievable, not expected at all...it's really exciting and you like to have a good dog in your kennel," Ruth Matic said.

The Matic's with two runners in the $40,000-to-the-winner decider, with Len Me Dad's litter brother Peace Keeper finishing seventh in the race.

"We whelped the litter and Len Me Dad was always Danni's pick and Peace Keeper was always mine so it's great to see them both doing so well," Ruth Matic said.

"He's [Len Me Dad] always shown plenty of ability but its good to see him actually translate that onto the track and into races because you get a lot of fast dogs that aren't good race dogs but he just chases his butt off," Danielle Matic said.

Len Me Dad's Group 2 success comes only two months after litter sister, Wyndra All Class, took out the Group 1 National Futurity at Wentworth Park.