Caption: Trainer Tim Britton and Martina Kirillidis with Small Town after the sprinter gave Britton his first Ipswich winner earlier this month. (Photo: Just Greyhound Photos)

Ipswich Greyhound Club’s Weekly Wrap with MIKE HILL

PURGA-based trainer Kurt Brown landed a hard-to-acquire winning treble with a clutch of maiden performers over 288m at Ipswich on Thursday.

Despite the trio being well bred, they weren’t fancied by most punters.

Collin’s Girl (Fernando Bale-Snug), an $11 chance, narrowly won the opening race; Corporate Barbie (Fernando Basle-Zipping-Cosmo) followed two races later at $13, while Mysterious Model (Bewildering-Boscono), was successful in the next at $9.

Meanwhile, several trainers picked up pre-Christmas ‘presents’ in the form of winning  doubles.

Col Graham, based in the Northern Rivers of NSW, claimed his pair last Saturday night in successive races.

Graham saluted with Seven Sinners in a 4/5 Grade (520m) before highly talented sprinter Loving Smile crushed her rivals in the $6200 Orchestrate @ Stud Final (520m).

Loving Smile (Hooked On Scotch-Distant Star) clocked a slick 30.05s, the sixth fastest time recorded at Ipswich.

The black sprinter has raced only 10 times for seven victories, including a super 29.85s in winning a heat of the Bogie Leigh Futurity at Albion Park on Thursday night.

She was off the scene for three months after coming on season in August, but has returned in sparkling form with five recent wins from six starts.

Earlier this week Graham said: “Loving Smile is such a great little chaser and she is going sensationally at the moment.

“She has come back from her season as a much more mature dog.”

Four days earlier Churchable-based Casey Dargusch rugged up Coruscate (Novice, 431m) and Bye Bye Swiper (4/5 Grade 520m) to also land an Ipswich double, while master trainer Paul Cauchi (Gold Coast) landed the chocolates with his pair, Black Idol and No Money Honey, at a rare Sunday meeting.

Kerry Hoggan, also based at Churchable, had to wait until Boxing Day for her ‘present’ when both Shian Leo (Maiden Final, 431m) and Magical Gunn (5th Grade, 520m) saluted.

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THE heat wave currently sweeping across parts of Queensland has forced Racing Queensland officials to push back the start of the 12-race meeting at Ipswich on Friday (today) by four hours.

The meeting will now kick off at 5.57pm.

It follows RQ’s decision to switch Thursday’s Ipswich meeting to an evening program.

Officials said because of a forecast maximum temperature of 39 degrees for the Ipswich region it was necessary to delay Friday’s meeting.

They also said that trainers could scratch their greyhounds without penalty if inconvenienced by the new race times.

Kennelling times are 4.12pm-5.12pm (Qld).

IPSWICH will end another successful year on Saturday with a 10-race program.

Trainer Tim Britton will be hoping to continue his recent winning run with littermates Red Dirt Road and Small Town in the $7000 Greyhounds Make Great Pets 5th Grade middle distance event over 630m.

Britton only recently relocated to the Sunshine State from Melbourne to operate the well-known family’s new satellite kennels at Churchable.

Red Dirt Road (Space Star-Shiny Bright), weighing in at 35.5kgs, showed strength to win at his first attempt over the middle distance last week after travelling wide for a good part of the trip.

It followed another impressive victory in a novice class over the Ipswich 520m journey seven nights earlier.

The big black chaser, with three wins from seven starts, will jump from box 4, while kennelmate Small Town – two wins from four starts – has the inside alley.

Small Town gave Britton his first win at Ipswich when she won a 520m novice earlier this month.

Both chasers began their careers with early maiden victories at The Meadows in late November before heading to sunny Queensland.

Main rivals to the Britton pair on Saturday appear to be the Noel Evans-trained Money Tears (box 7) and the Renald Attard-prepared My Genie (box 8).

THE Ipswich Greyhound Club is gearing up for three months of action-packed racing in the New Year headlined by the 41st edition of the Vince Curry Memorial series (520m) – the riches greyhound race for maiden performers.

The three-race Group 3 series (heats January 20, semi-finals January 27, final February 3) carries total prizemoney of $112,500 with winning connections taking home $75,000.

Other features during February include the ever-popular $18,500 Corporate Dollars Challenge (520m) and the $7700 Dash For Cash (288m) with both finals on the same night (February 17).

Heats for the Corporate Dollars will be run on February 10 and the Dash For Cash heats are on February 8.

The $22,000 Auction Sprint (431m) will begin with heats on February 23 followed by semi-finals on March 1 with the final on March 9, while the rich $45,000 Ipswich Young Guns, open to youngsters 30 months and under, kicks off with heats on March 16.

The $30,000-to-the-winner final will be staged on March 23, the same night as the final of the $7700 Past Members over 431m (heats March 15).

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MEANWHILE, the $18,500 Ipswich Corporate Dollars Challenge for fifth graders (final, February 17) is fast becoming a ‘must contest’ series for promising sprinters.

It has been a launch pad for some outstanding careers with many chasers going on to Group and open racing.

Some of the talented sprinters to have won the series in recent years include Brandi Alexander, Velocity Bettina and Tungsten Miss.

The Shane Topping-trained Bundy Prize won the $12,025-to-the-winner final last February, narrowly beating the likes of All Natural and Get Carter, who have both gone on to Group class racing.

At the time, Topping said the Corporate Dollars Challenge was a great concept.

It’s a unique race in itself where businesses are paired with the eight finalists, and the ‘winning’ sponsor gains naming rights on the finish post for 12 months.

All sponsors receive special naming rights to races throughout the year and are wined and dined on the night of the big final.

Topping said: “This race, it brings businesses into the sport that may not have been involved. It is a very good concept and without these sponsors you don’t have a race like this.

“You need new sponsors and new people into the game all the time, or that’s when you start to struggle.”

Club officials are in the process of securing the eight sponsors for the upcoming series, which is certain to be well supported by owners and trainers.

Previous Corporate Dollars winners: 2006 Saltwater Pete (Tom Noble) for sponsor Downtown Toyota; 2007 Rapala Boy (Andrew Monaghan) Colourfast; 2008 Too Puzzled (Sandra Giles) Colourfast; 2009 Hot Contender (Derek Milham) Big Dog Racing Supplements; 2010 Red Rocket (Mick Zammit) Garrard’s Horse & Hound; 2011 Obi Wan (Ned Snow) Greg Sternberg Vet Surgeon; 2012 Quick As Air (Deborah Simon) Arness Hay & Chaff Supplier; 2013 New Gleam (Darren Russell) Super Butcher; 2014 Spring Bonanza (Tom Tzouvelis) Gatton Tyre Services; 2015 Darcy’s Curse (Peter Ruetschi G J Walsh & Co; 2016 Arabian Shredder (Tony Brett) Trembath Tyre Repairs; 2017 Mo Stradamus (Stephen Rolph) G J Walsh & Co; 2018 Brandi Alexander (Tom Tzouvelis) Beenleigh Legal; 2020 Velocity Bettina (Kevin Ellis) Greg Sternberg Vet Surgeon; 2021 Spring Cleo (Pauline Byers) Greyhound Gear; 2022 Tungsten Miss (Jedda Cutlack) Beenleigh Legal; 2023 Bundy Prize (Shane Topping) Greys4Pets.

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OWNERS, trainers and all Ipswich supporters are reminded that the club’s annual Awards Night is on February 3 – the same night as the Vince Curry final.

During the evening awards will be handed out to the leading male and female trainer, greyhound of the year and leading owner for 2023.