Super stayer shock
Thursday August 20, 2009

CHAMPION stayer Mantra Lad is a shock scratching, due to injury, from tonight's National Distance Championship state final at Sandown Park.

Under a revised system, the reigning national distance champion had already qualified for the Group 1 NDC grand final, to be held at Cannington in Perth on September 5. (The highest AGRA ranked greyhound to have competed in, but not won, their NDC state final receives automatic entry into the grand final.)

Mantra Lad is now ineligible, with the second and third highest ranked stayers - Victorians Vintage Octane and Jarvis Bale - ultimately chasing national glory in WA.

Disappointed trainer Graeme Jose had been hoping Mantra Lad could join Queenslander Boronia Blossom (1995-96) as the only greyhounds to land back-to-back NDC grand finals.