Caption: Trainer Scott Atkinson and Bernie Frazer (catcher) with Canya Go Wild, winner of the Peter Wilson Memorial (498m) at Townsville.

Queensland Country Wrap with MIKE HILL

IT was a fantastic night, says Amber Boody.

The team had just landed the Futurity-Derby double with litter mates Love You Peaches and Blue Jeans Talk at Rockhampton last month.

And just to top it off, Boody rugged up her third winner later in the night – Go Again Bear – in a fifth grade over 407m.

Amber and husband Mick only recently moved their operation from the Brisbane region to the Central Queensland rural community of Dalma, 40kms west of Rockhampton.

And success has come quickly.

Prior to their juvenile feature victories they had rugged up three winning trebles – two in successive weeks.

\”We had won Futurity and Derby races before but never two on the same night,\” said Amber.

The only other time the Boodys had landed two feature races on the same program was many years ago when they won the Mackay Cup and a Maiden 1000.

\”Although you always hope,\” Boody said she wasn\’t expecting to win the Futurity-Derby double.

\”I thought the Futurity, \’Yes\’, Love You Peaches is a really good bitch, but I wasn\’t sure with Blue Jeans Talk in the Derby,\” she said.

\”Luckily he jagged the right run.\”

In fact, it was a huge run by the son of Thirty Talks-New Abode to win the $5250 Dynamic Electrical CQ Derby (510m).

The blue sprinter ($2.80 fav) was back near last early and was still eight lengths off the leaders down the back straight.

He burst clear in the straight to win running away by two-and-three-quarter lengths from the David Plummer-trained Fogelberg ($6) with Dallas Beckett\’s Canary Wharf ($5.50) another two-and-a-half lengths back third.

In the Futurity, Love You Peaches, the hot $1.55 favourite, gave her backers heart palpitations on the corner when Juanita Thompson\’s $18 chance Rosa\’s Kitchen swept to the lead but the Boody sprinter lifted in the straight to come again and win by one-and-three-quarter lengths with the Darren Taylor-trained We\’re Back Boys ($34) third.

\”It was a great night,\” said Boody. \”We\’ll enjoy it while we can.

\”It makes up for all the bad weeks you have as a trainer.\”

She said the team had settled in well to their new surrounds.

\”We\’re happy with the move … we can\’t complain.

\”The dogs are happy, healthy and performing well.\”

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TOWNSVILLE Greyhound Breeders Owners and Trainers Association made a special presentation last month to the first members of  the 100 Club.

Rhonda Essery and Brad Belford became the first Townsville trainers to lead in 100 winners for the year.

And to honour the occasion TGBOTA president Doug Warrington presented both Essery and Belford with $100 gift vouchers.

Essery was the first to reach the milestone  when she landed her 95th win at Townsville with Turn The Key at a Tuesday night meeting early in October. Earlier in the year she had led in another five winners – three at Rockhampton and two at Albion Park – giving her a \’Queensland ton\’.

A few days later Belford joined Essery and at the same time became the first trainer to lead in 100 winners at Townsville in a season.

His 100th winner – Midnight Frankie – saluted at a Friday meeting.

Essery, who came very close to the century mark last year with 99 wins, has since cracked the ton at Townsville.

Late last month she was leading the Townsville trainers premiership with 1906 points (Greyhound Recorder statistics) from 113 wins, 129 seconds and 130 thirds – 202 points ahead of Belford on 1704 (119-90-77).

However, Belford has the superior winning strike with 21 per cent to Essery\’s 13 per cent.

Meanwhile, in-form sprinter Canya Go Wild gave trainer Scott Atkinson feature success with an impressive victory in the Peter Wilson Memorial (498m), while Carol Pickard produced improving sprinter Lost In Lantana to win the Evelyn Gough Memorial (380m).

Canya Go Wild (Go Wild Teddy-Beauty Bale) has been a model of consistency since arriving at Atkinson\’s Bohle Plains kennels from South Australia in early August.

The much-travelled sprinter – he began his career in WA before stints in Victoria and SA – has put together six wins and two placings from 12 starts for Atkinson.

His overall career record stands at 23 wins and 18 placings from 61 starts.

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LEADING regional kennels are gearing up for the $20,600 Country Cup at Albion Park early in the new year.

Qualifying heats and finals will be staged next month.

The series kicks off with the Wide Bay Country Cup (550m) at Bundaberg  (heats January 10, final January 17), followed by the North Queensland Country Cup at Townsville (498m, January 11 and 18) and the Central Queensland Country Cup at Rockhampton (510m, January 12 and 19).

The $8400-to-the-winner final will be run at Albion Park on February 3, 2022, and connections of all finalists will receive $1000 to assist with travel expenses.

The series, introduced in 2018, has been dominated by Townsville-trained greyhounds and northern sprinters could again dominate.

Previous Country Cup winners: 2018 – Innocent Man (representing Townsville), 2019 – Dalmatynski (Townsville), 2020 – Elegant Eleanor (Bundaberg) and 2021 Stratford (Townsville).

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GRASSTREE Beach trainer Peter Payne was rueing the fact he didn\’t have a cent on his sprinter Farmor Saloons in a Rockhampton novice over 407m early last month.

The black dog (My Bro Fabio-Farmor Gems) stunned Payne as well as most punters when he won at 100-1.

\”That was his longest price winner ever and he didn\’t have a penny on it,\” said Payne\’s grandfather and Rockhampton club president Nev Jackson.

\”He normally has $10 each-way on most of his dogs but he didn\’t that night.

\”The dog didn\’t run any fast time but he did get a clear run.

\”The breaks went his way and he got there in the end.\”

The win took Farmor Saloons record to two wins and 12 placings from 45 starts.

Jackson, who had major health issues earlier in the year, said his grandson handled all his dogs on race nights.

\”I haven\’t been on the track at all this year,\” he said.

Payne, who has been training for about 20 years, has a handful of dogs in work.