Caption: Handler and trainer in her own right Lorraine Isles with the Paul McIlveen-prepared Bad And Boujee, winner of last month\’s $5250 Bundaberg Young Guns (550m). Photo: Uncle Rustys Photos.

By MIKE HILL

NOT many maiden performers win Young Guns finals in Queensland, but promising chaser Bad And Boujee achieved the feat at Bundaberg last month.

To add to the drama, the black bitch was a reserve in the $5250 550m feature and only gained a run thanks to a scratching.

Bad And Boujee had gone into the $3500-to-the-winner event on the back of three good seconds from seven starts – at Ipswich (431m), Albion Park (520m) and Capalaba (366m).

\”She\’s got enormous potential but has poor box manners and is still very green,\” said Beachmere-based trainer of 30 years Paul McIlveen.

At Bundaberg – her first time at the track – Bad And Boujee ($15) again missed the start from box seven but mustered speed quickly to be just behind the leaders entering the back straight.

She pushed up along the rails to join the leading pair, the John White-trained Burn Out ($2 fav) and Peter O\’Reilly\’s He\’s Nosey ($21), on the corner but ran wide.

Despite covering extra ground, the My Bro Fabio-Miss Chicki sprinter stormed to victory, winning by two lengths with a head separating Burn Out and He\’s Nosey.

Her time of 31.63s pleased McIlveen.

\”It was a good effort considering she had never seen the track before and the amount of extra ground she covered,\” he said.

\”I was really happy that she finished strongly.\”

McIlveen was also impressed by the standard of the grass track.

\”It was in magnificent condition,\” he said. \”It\’s a credit to the ground staff.\”

McIlveen said he had bypassed the club\’s 460m maiden believing Bad And Boujee would be better suited over the longer distance of the feature event.

He said she had been crying out for a journey like the 550m trip.

\”I think she\’ll definitely run 600m and, hopefully, she can get out to 700m,\” the trainer said.

\”She\’s been running fast trial times and her run home times are always strong.

The trainer, who has four dogs in work, said he was hoping Bad And Boujee could improve her box manners as she matures.

\”She has really good speed once she hits the ground and she\’s a good railer,\” he said.

McIlveen would have been encouraged even more two weeks later when Bad And Boujee ran a courageous fourth behind Nando Dreamer in the much stronger $16,800 Ipswich Young Guns Final (520m).

Bad And Boujee was at the rear of the field – at least 11 lengths off the leaders – heading down the back straight but worked her way into the action to be just two lengths behind the winner at the finish.

Meanwhile, Bundaberg president Ricky Hassall recently presented trophies to major 2020 award winners.

Howard-based trainer Allen Kelly\’s talented sprinter Savuro won the Greyhound of the Year trophy with a tally of 12 wins, all over 460m, Paul Burgess won the trainers premiership and Louise Cameron topped the female trainers list.

Hassall also announced that major improvements were being carried out at the club.

\”We\’re getting new 550m boxes and a new running rail and cable,\” he said.

\”Everything should be installed within a few months.\”

Hassall was also upbeat with news that his former brilliant sprinter Elegant Eleanor had delivered 13 healthy pups from her first litter to Fernando Bale.

\”I was anticipating maybe six or eight pups initially, until the vet did a scan which indicated a larger litter,\” he said.

Hassall said he was \’tickled pink\’ with the news and he plans to keep the entire litter.