The Moss Vale Greyhound Club will keep business as usual despite the sport’s ruling body’s decision to axe eight meetings a year from the historic course.

A furious club confronted the Greyhound Racing Authority at a protest in its Sydney headquarters last month but according to club President Des Bentley, the action fell on deaf ears.

“This decision will sound the death knell for country greyhound racing,” he said.

“It’s been done across the board but we’ve been hit very badly.

“It’s going to make things very difficult but I hope we’ll be able to survive.”

The Moss Vale club will be forced to race a maximum of 32 times per season, down from the previous 40.

“It’s a lost cause trying to protest the decision, they’ve made up their mind,” Bentley said.

“I really think they’re trying to kill us off because we’re not feeding money into the tab.

“We can try and nail them and get our race dates back but it seems impossible.”

And the notion of transforming the country track into a TAB meeting holds no allure for Bentley.

“If we go down the TAB road we’ll lose our bookmakers,” he said.

“Bookies are what Moss Vale is all about.”

The club boasts more bookmakers than any other greyhound club in the state, including the city tracks.

Bentley sighted attendance figures at the course to back up his claims that the club had industry support.

“The meeting is definitely popular and we had more people here than attended Wentworth Park last Saturday,” he said.

“It’s such a good day out with a good picnic atmosphere.

“That’s why we call it the family track.”

Bentley added that the club also provided an important function in the racing side of the industry.

“We’re a strong feeder track to bigger tracks like Wentworth Park,” he said.

“It’s a good educational track and a lot of dogs that have raced here have gone on to bigger and better things.”

A maiden final is run every week at the course for young greyhounds trying to break through for their first victory.

The $200 race is made up of dogs that have qualified the previous week and is always hotly contested.

Saturday’s event was no exception with fastest qualifier Abrasive Blaster starting from box four at around the even money mark.

As the bunny rolled the favourite anticipated the start and bounced straight to the front on the tight circuit.

Abrasive Blaster careered away for a strong win in 30 seconds flat and is no doubt destined for bigger and better things.