DARWIN'S greyhounds are ready for their first bite at one of 2016's juiciest cherries.
Tonight at Winnellie Park is the first major race meet of the year with the Bret Kajetanski Memorial and Australia Day Medal on the line. 
Graeme Scott trains Australia Day Medal chance Hanson Harley, as well as nominating Kiruna and Magic Spot for the 537m memorial race.
"(Hanson) Harley is better suited to the distance (383m), but there is a lot of speedy dogs in the Australia Day Medal," Scott said.
"If he can get into a good spot he's a chance.
"He's drawn box eight and he'll probably have to come from behind because of the early speed in that race.
"The memorial race is pretty open; there is a bit of luck needed in that one." Scott's Curry Coco has also drawn wide in box seven for the Mixed Grade Sprint (312m).
"She'll have to work from that wide but she's running well," Scott said. "If she jumps well, she will be hard to beat.
"She'll go on improving ... but she won't go over the 537 (metres)." Tonight's eight-race meet will begin at 7.06pm.
Scott said it was important to manage greyhounds' workload during the wet season.
"It's the humidity that knocks them about,'' he said.
"They always run better times in the dry season.
"You can't work them too hard during the week (in wet season)." Club manager Greg Aldam said the Bret Kajetanski Memorial - which will be race two at 7.26pm - was special given Kajetanski's involvement in the Top End's greyhound racing community.
It will be the third annual running of the memorial race for the untimely death of the committeeman, owner and respected member of the Darwin Greyhounds Association.Gates will open at Winnellie Park at 5.45pm.