Caption: Leading North Queensland trainer Brad Belford has had an amazing month … leading in 29 winners during May.

Chase’s MIKE HILL highlights trainers who have celebrated multiple winners in the past seven days

TOWNSVILLE’S top trainer Brad Belford is heading for his best ever season with the collar and lead.

Already with 88 winners, Belford has set his sights on reaching the 200-victory milestone after falling 12 wins short last year.

“The way things are going, I think it’s achievable,” he said. “I’m pumped at the moment.

“We just have to keep it going.”

With seven months of the season still remaining, Belford is not only a hot favourite to successfully defend his club title, he’s also the nation’s leading country trainer.

Restricted to two meetings a week, the Gumlow-based conditioner has just had one of his best months, leading in 29 winners during May.

“That’s got to be one of my better months,” Belford said.

After completing a five-win haul at the Townsville Showgrounds circuit last Friday, Belford then produced another four winners at the track a few nights later – his fourth successive quartet at a Tuesday night meeting.

With 40 dogs in work, he and wife Jackie are happy to put in the hard yards.

“It’s paying off at present,” said the trainer, who admits having a spring in his step.

“I couldn’t be happier with the way the team is going. It’s hard, but rewarding work … it’s what we do.

“I know we can’t go on doing this forever, but while we can we’ll battle on.”

Belford, who surprisingly didn’t have a runner in Tuesday night’s heats of the Young Guns, said he was now preparing for the upcoming Grand Prix series.

“It’s only a couple of weeks away and we should have three or four runners in it,” he said.

“We’ve had some good success in the series in recent years. I think we have won three of the last four.”

The trainer said he was taken by newcomer Jupiter, a winner on Tuesday night at his third start in the north.

“I like the dog,” he said. “He’s come up from Tommy (Tzouvelis) and I think he’s one that will run on.”

Jupiter (Maurice Minor-Soft Sand) is a litter brother to the Jedda Cutlack-trained promising middle distance chaser Amendola, winner of the Listed QGOLD Emerging Stayers (600m) Final (600m) at Albion Park last Thursday.

Tuesday night’s four-win haul with Warbel Logan ($2.30 fav), Pretty Cindy ($2.40 fav), Jupiter ($3.30) and Balts Obsession ($3.90) has taken Belford’s Townsville tally to 81 wins, giving him a commanding lead over nearest rivals Rhonda Essery (33), Bobbie-Jean Chaffey (29) and Hayley Wooler (23).

And with an additional seven wins, collected during a month’s ‘working holiday’ in the Brisbane region earlier in the year, he now sits in fifth place on the national points table behind the likes of leading metropolitan trainers Tom Dailly, Mark Delbridge, Tony Rasmussen and Daniel Gibbons.

Young Darwin trainer Harrison Brown also picked up a winning quartet – Time To Reign ($2.70 fav), Whiskey Blue ($1.90 fav), Spiteful Miss ($11.40) and Raw Eleven ($1.90 fav) – at Winnellie Park on Sunday night, while Tony and Lisa Rasmussen collected a double each at Murray Bridge on Friday.

Trainers to lead in winning trebles included:

NSW: Scott Board (at Goulburn), Andy Lord (Wentworth Park), Rod McDonald (Young), Phillip Cini (Richmond), Jedda Cutlack (Grafton).

Victoria: Donna Knight (Bendigo), Tom Dailly (The Meadows twice), Jeff Britton (Sandown Park), Jason Thompson (Geelong), Mark Delbridge (Sandown Park).

SA: Captain Abbott (Mount Gambier), Brenda Oakey (Angle Park).

Queensland: Dallas Beckett (Rockhampton), Darren Taylor (Rockhampton), Bobbie-Jean Chaffey (Townsville).

WA: Lexia Isaac (Northam), Shayne Williams (Cannington).

Tasmania: Eileen Thomas (Launceston), Paul Young (Hobart).

NT: Kathleen Reynolds (Darwin).