Broadly, I have only a couple of problem with your distance brackets.

First, the average greyhound achieves its top speed at around 435m.

Second, many 425m dogs cannot run out a good 450m. Bendigo to Ballarat is a good comparison there.

Third, some 400m dogs are gasping at the end of a 425m race, possibly because they were not running out a strong 400m in the first place.

Fourth, Some or most 300m/350m winners cannot run out 400m very well (but training may come into it there).

Fifth, I would strongly contend your 441m/550m bracket. It should read 480m/550m. A great many good 450m dogs cannot get the 500m/525m trips. (In reverse, many good 520m winners have difficulty with the last 30m at Horsham or Bulli - due to the longer home straights).

These are averages, of course, so there will be versatile dogs that have a greater reach. (Pretty Short is one example).

But hark back to my overall 435m point. This also emphasises that once you get beyond 435m most dogs are slowing down, including in top events over 520m The winner is more often the one that slows down less than the others. "Finishing on" can be an optical illusion.

It is also relevant to consider their jumping ability. A leader does not have to worry about interference but, on the other hand, it may be using up its petrol in the first half of the race and have less to use at the finish.

Track shape also makes a big difference.

Anyway, interference aside, Warrnambool 450m is a good test, as are many on the Cup circuit.

So I would want to group them as Sub-400m, 400m/430m, 431m/460m
and so on. I find those distinctly clear brackets.

While I am here, let me correct Simon. I have never said the Warrnambool Classic as such is bad for "the industry", only that the heats are, and that they should find some other way of skinning the cat.

You must really read the comment more carefully. This goose pointed out that the average maximum speed was achieved over a 435m trip.

You converted that to mean "reaching top speed at 435m". Really? I have to give you an F for maths and logic.

While on your subject of run home times I will take the opportunity to mention that this is the most useless statistic in the greyhound world. First, you often do not have any way of assessing which dog ran what time - where were they at the initial marker? Did the winner (which is at the end of that time) also lead at the early marker? Where is the early marker - often there is no way of telling?

Second, even if you knew the right dog/time, what use can you put it to? Was it at the end of its run and fading? Was it just warming up and looking for more distance? Was its early sectional typical or unusual for it?

All of which has nothing to do with Warrnambool. However, the extra money spent on more complex timing systems and semaphore boards would be better applied to prize money.

If they don't know a short courser from a stayer then it is unlikely they would know what the Warrnambool Classic is all about.

As for "Grv are trying to get breeding back on track with the bonuses", you may have missed my point that this has been going on for years without achieving a result. Even the special Napthine bonuses/grants achieved nothing. Over all that period, Vic breeding actually declined.

Why? Hard to tell, but obviously nobody thought to properly analyse the situation before doling out the cash. They prefer the wet finger approach. On a wing and a prayer.

You say GRV "stopped" the Classic. I have heard a few different versions of that but nobody has offered any serious evidence of it. The other thought that paperwork was a barrier is also a bit thin.

I have no problems with the Warrnambool set up (except for a lousy 650m start) and the food is good. So I get back to the start - the heats are poor, the concept is weak, so remodel it to produce a better result.